


And You Know Damn Well (For You I would Ruin Myself)

by TheseLinesofLightning



Category: Strictly Come Dancing RPF
Genre: Ch10 Luba and Johannes, F/M, There will be more people who crop up, ch1 jamie and karen, ch11 Maisie, ch2 kai, ch3 zoe, ch4 clara and aljaz, ch5 gorka, ch6 piers, ch7 gio, ch8 maria, ch9 dianne, if I don't remember to tag them I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28712019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheseLinesofLightning/pseuds/TheseLinesofLightning
Summary: Ranvir and Giovanni cannot keep a secret to save their lives, and they have one big secret to keep.
Relationships: Giovanni Pernice/Ranvir Singh
Comments: 143
Kudos: 69





	1. Clandestine Meetings

Ranvir slid her hand into Giovanni’s as they traversed the Elstree studio on the way to rehearsal. They were a tiny a bit early (just the way Gio always liked to be) so she slowed her stride beside him to enjoy a few extra seconds alone. He must’ve read her mind as he shifted their hands to intertwine their fingers and then surreptitiously pulled her down a corridor she had never noticed before.

She looked up at him with a questioning gaze but he just smirked at her and continued to pull her through a maze of white walls before finally reaching an alcove that held a vending machine, a coffee machine and a small counter top. Assuming he had brought them here for a coffee before the rehearsal Ranvir opened her mouth to speak but before she could ask what drink he wanted, Giovanni had lifted her up and placed on the counter, immediately stepping between her legs. He slid his hands into her hair and kissed her desperately. She sunk into the kiss enjoying the feeling of him surrounding her and pulled him closer by his hoodie, forcing her to tilt her chin up to remain connected to him. His hands reached for her waist, tugging her closer to the edge of the counter and closer to his hips as he pushed against her. The moan that escaped her throat echoed through the alcove and she heard Giovanni giggle somewhere near her collarbone.

The Italian drove her mad in all the right ways. He could be the most frustrating, annoying, bossy person in the room but he could also be the most sensitive, kind and warm hearted man she’d ever had the fortune to meet. Put that alongside the fact that he certainly knew how to please a woman and he was the entire package. She counted herself lucky that he was interested in her but knew if she ever said anything close to that out loud, he’d shut her down and proclaim that he was the lucky one. It was difficult to think when he was this close to her, his fingertips sliding beneath the waistband of her leggings. Good God, were they really going to do this here? Deciding she didn’t have the mental capacity to stop, Ranvir reached inside Giovanni’s joggers just as laughter resounded around a hallway nearby.

She pushed him off of her, slipping from the counter and turning to the drinks machine, pressing a random button. She felt him come to stand directly behind her, his breathing still laboured as she willed herself to calm down. The machine spluttered to life as it dispensed a coffee cup and liquid began to drain into it.

“I told you we’d find them here,”

Ranvir looked over her shoulder at the smug faces of Karen and Jamie.

“Oh, hey guys,”

“You two are running late,” Jamie said.

“We are?” Ranvir asked as she turned fully to face them, praying her dishevelled experience could be explained away by a full day of training, “what time is it?”

Giovanni still hadn’t turned around to face them and as she reached into his pocket for her phone, she understood why.

“Hey Karen,” Jamie said playfully, crossing his arms over his chest and resting his weight on his back leg.

“Yes Jamie?” The girl in question replied, mirroring his stance.

“How did you know we’d find them here?”

“We were a little bit early so we came to get a coffee before the show,” Ranvir interjected, turning back to pick up the coffee as if to prove her point.

“Did you get lost on the way to the coffee machine?” Jamie asked, as if this was a little play he was performing.

“No?” Ranvir replied, raising an eyebrow as she wondered where he was going with this line of enquiry; he couldn’t possibly know what they’d been up to could he? She wished Giovanni would turn around and defend them but the boy hadn’t moved and as she looked up at him she could see he had his eyes closed and a slight grimace on his face.

“So it took you twenty minutes to get coffee?”

Ranvir unlocked her phone, finally looking at the time and barely stopped herself from swearing as she realised they were really, _really_ , late for rehearsals.

“Well, this has been fun guys but we should get to the studio,”

“Hey Karen,” Jamie interrupted as Ranvir took a step to leave.

“Yes Jamie?”

The presenter sighed, this game had gone on for too long. What did they know that she didn’t?

“Why did you think we’d find them here?”

“No-one uses this coffee machine because the drinks taste like dirt,” Karen replied matter-of-factly.

Was that it? Dirt coffee wasn’t necessarily _bad_ coffee - she'd learnt that after a few all nighters at uni.

“And?” Jamie encouraged his dance partner.

Apparently that was not it.

“Well, because no-one uses it for coffee it’s become a well-known make out spot,”

Caught in surprise Ranvir looked up at Giovanni, her mouth open slightly as she watched him scrunch his eyes tighter. She couldn’t believe the bastard had taken her to a ‘well-known make out spot’ where they could so easily be found.

“No denials here then,” Jamie cackled as Giovanni finally opened his eyes and stared down at Ranvir apologetically. “I’m willing to bet the reason Gio hasn’t turned around is because he’s sporting a-“

“Jamie!” Both Ranvir and Karen shouted, the latter slapping him on the arm.

“Come on, we’ve had our fun,” Karen laughed, grabbing Jamie’s t-shirt and attempting to pull him from the room. “We’ll see you in rehearsal, don't be too much longer,”

“But I haven’t finished teasing Gio!” Jamie cried as Karen dragged him from the alcove. “Don’t forget to wear protection kids!”

“Ranvi,” Giovanni started as he took a small step back from her; she held up a hand to quiet him.

“You couldn’t think of anywhere better than a spot that’s ‘well-known’ for making out?” She asked incredulously.

Giovanni looked confused.

“That’s what you’re mad about?”

“Why would you take me here when you know we’re not telling anyone yet?” Ranvir put her coffee cup down on the counter and pushed her hair behind her ears.

“I’m sorry!” He cried looking oddly relieved, “I wanted to kiss you and I knew we couldn’t do it in the studio and this was the first place I thought of,”

Slightly placated, Ranvir sighed.

“You know they’re not going to let us hear the end of it,”

“I really am sorry,” he said again, stepping into her space and reaching for her hands. “It’s not my fault you’re irresistible,”

“You’re lucky I like you,”

She smiled softly up at him, watching as his shoulders finally relaxed and his pupils dilated as he stared back at her. Giovanni leaned down a little and kissed her quickly.

“We should get to the studio,”

Ranvir let him take her hand and lead her from the alcove. She just about remembered to grab her coffee cup from the side hoping their story might check out with the others. No-one except Jamie and Karen knew they’d gone to that specific coffee machine.

Giovanni squeezed her hand and she almost took pity on him. He had been so convinced she had been mad that he even knew about the make out spot, let alone took her to it and now he looked like the cat who got the cream as he thought she wasn’t going to question him about it. Well he thought wrong.

“So, how many other girls have you taken there?” She asked nonchalantly.

Giovanni looked at her, eyes wide and jaw slightly hanging. She watched in pure amusement as he scrambled for an answer. Deciding to put him out of his misery she said:

“I don’t care, Giovanni, I’m just curious,”

“Only you,” he finally admitted, letting go of her hand to tug her into his side.

“So how did you know about it?” She asked, confused again.

“Well,” he paused and she nudged his stomach encouraging him to proceed, “Ashley and I were on our way there but when we finally found it, it was already,” he trailed off, “occupied.”

“Oh my God!” Ranvir laughed, “By who?”

“Everyone was at it that year!” He smirked.

“So who was it?”

“Let’s just say, they might not have won the glitterball but-”

Ranvir cut him off with a cackle that echoed back through the hallway. She gripped her side as she laughed pausing for breath and leaning on a nearby wall. Giovanni was grinning down at her with that soft look on his face again and for once she allowed it to knock the wind from her.

“I’m not sorry we went but I am sorry we got caught,” he said quietly. They were still pretty hidden from the studio itself and she didn’t begrudge him the opportunity to kiss her.

“We’ve just got to hope they don’t say anything,”

“I’ll speak to Jamie,” Giovanni promised.

“I don’t think he’d do anything to hurt us,”

“No,” He agreed.

“We’ll just have to be more careful next time,”

Ranvir grinned as Giovanni’s eyes lit up. She knew that would get him.

“Next time?”


	2. You Knew What It Was (He Is In Love)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai helps Gio move into his flat and along the way discovers some clues.

“Can you grab the food from the freezer?” Giovanni called from somewhere in his near empty flat.

Kai grabbed a storage box and sat down on the floor as he opened the freezer door to get to work.

With the announcement of a second lockdown and his girlfriend still in Italy, Kai had invited his friend Gio to move in with him. They already lived in the same apartment block but Kai’s floor was a little higher and offered an almost three hundred and sixty degree view of the city skyline. They had had to live apart during the Strictly season lockdown but with Christmas approaching it just made sense to have the company. He was looking forward to spending more time with his friend and not being alone was a huge plus.

Kai slid open the bottom drawer wondering how all this food would fit into his own freezer and started decanting it into the storage box. Under a bag of frozen smoothie mix Kai raised an eyebrow at two Tupperware boxes. Finding Tupperware in the freezer wasn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence but the handwriting on top was not Giovanni’s. He tilted the tub trying to figure out what was inside it and who had given it to his friend.

With a shrug, Kai chucked the Tupperware in the storage box and continued sorting through the food.

“Gio,” Kai called, turning a square box in his hands.

“What’s up mate?”

“Why have you got Hawaiian pizza in your freezer?”

“Huh?” The dancer stuck his head around the door to his bedroom and Kai watched as his eyes landed on the pizza box in his hand. “Ah” he said, fiddling with an earring.

“You hate pineapple on pizza,” Kai said knowingly.

“It’s for emergencies,” Gio shrugged, immediately disappearing back to where he came from.

“I’ll just chuck it then, I’ve got plenty of food for emergencies at mine,”

“No!” Giovanni shouted, suddenly appearing in front of him.

“But you don’t even like it!” Kai laughed.

“I might change my mind,” Giovanni shrugged, “keep it, please.”

Kai looked confused but did as his friend told him, standing up and tucking the box under his arm.

“I’m gonna take this lot down and then I’ll be up to help you with your suitcase,”

“Thanks brother,”

Kai was still perplexed as he grabbed another couple of already packed boxes and left Giovanni’s flat. Where had the Tupperware come from and why did Gio want to keep the pineapple pizza so bad? The box looked brand new so it certainly hadn’t been in his freezer long. What secret was Gio so insistent on keeping?

Figuring it didn’t really matter and that he wouldn’t be able to keep it secret for long now that they were living together, Kai took the lift up a couple of floors and headed into his flat. He made quick work of the food, deciding to leave the Tupperware in the top of the drawer so Gio knew he had seen it and just as he was finishing up the Italian appeared in the doorway.

“I’ve bought some of my suitcases down; can you put them in my room?”

“Do you want me to start unpacking them whilst you grab the others?” Kai asked, already wheeling the largest case down the hallway.

“Actually mate, that would be amazing,”

Kai looked up to reply and laughed a little as he realised Gio had already gone. He lifted the suitcase onto the bed, unzipping it and laying it out before him. He briefly shot a prayer to whoever was listening that Gio hadn’t packed his underwear in this one before he started pulling out the clothes and sorting them into piles. Kai snickered as he found a pair of leggings that almost certainly didn’t belong to his friend. Giovanni liked a print but this one was particularly feminine. He set them aside, making a mental note to tease his friend for seducing a poor unsuspecting woman in leggings. How on earth had the poor girl got home without them? And why would she leave without them? The mind boggles, Kai thought.

A few minutes later Gio appeared by his side, another couple of suitcases trailing behind him.

“I think it’s just my desk to come up now,”

“Your vanity,” Kai corrected.

“My vanity?”

“Yes,” he teased.

“Okay, I thought it was a desk,” Gio replied, clearly confused.

“They’re almost the same thing,” Kai grinned, “hey listen,” he reached for the leggings, “do you want to keep these or throw them out?”

Kai held them up to his friend who promptly went bright red and snatched them from his hands.

“Gio, why’re you blushing?”

“No reason, thank you for your help, I can manage from here,”

“Hey!”

Giovanni was trying to push him out the room now but Kai held on tight to the doorframe, determined not to leave without answers.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he grinned, “did Ashley leave them behind?”

“Ha!” Giovanni barked, “they’re not Ashley’s,”

Perhaps realising he’d said too much, Gio pushed the side of his hip into Kai’s stomach in an attempt to get him out of the room.

“Wait! If they’re not Ashley’s then whose are they?” Kai cried before his fingers slipped from the doorframe and Gio shut him out. “Who did you manage to pick up in leggings? In a lockdown?” He shouted incredulously through the wood. He knew Giovanni was good but he didn’t know he was that good. When there was no response, Kai sighed in frustration. He’d get it out of him one way or another.

-

Later that evening, Kai emerged from his room to grab a drink. He padded into the kitchen and flicked the kettle on, pulling a mug from the cupboard. He supposed he should ask Gio if he wanted one too so he grabbed another mug just in case, placing it on the side before heading to his room.

He could hear voices on the other side of the door. They sounded like they were speaking Italian to each other; Kai supressed a grin as he imagined Giovanni talking to his parents. He knocked on the door assuming Gio wouldn’t mind the interruption but when no reply came and the voices inside switched to English, Kai gave the door a small push and spotted his friend at his vanity on FaceTime to someone.

The dancer squinted to see who he was talking to but the distance was making it difficult.

“Your accent is getting better,” Gio praised gently.

“You’re just saying that,”

“No really!” He grinned, “By the time we’re allowed to visit Italy you’ll be perfect,”

“I still think you’ll have to translate the majority,” the voice replied.

It would make sense for it to be Michelle, Kai mused, since Gio was teaching her Italian but her voice didn’t sound American and the female on the other end of the line wasn’t obnoxiously loud either. He waited for a pause in the conversation to interrupt.

“I don’t mind,” Giovanni shrugged, “it’ll just be nice to spend some time with you in person,”

“Ha! You just want to show off that you can speak more than two languages,”

“No!” Gio laughed before relenting, “Okay fine, I hate the way you know me,”

“You love it,” the girl laughed.

“I love you,”

Realising this was definitely a private conversation that he most certainly shouldn’t be eavesdropping on Kai began to back away quietly from the door. There was complete silence and therefore nothing to mask the sound of Kai’s footsteps on the wooden floor so he paused, waiting for them to begin talking again before he moved.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that for the first time on FaceTime,” he heard Giovanni say.

Torn now, Kai stayed still. He had to know who Gio was talking to. Who on earth was he in love with? And who was he taking to Italy with him? Making a decision, Kai reached forward and, rationalising that he was saving his friend from talking himself into a very deep hole, he knocked loudly on the door.

“Yeah?” Giovanni called, his voice sounding relieved.

Kai pushed the door fully open and stepped inside just close enough to see that he was still holding his phone. Unfortunately, his head blocked the screen and he couldn’t see who Gio was talking to. So much for his master plan.

“I was just going to make a cup of tea, did you want one?” He asked.

“Oh, no thank you,”

“What’re you doing?” Kai asked, gesturing to the phone in his hand.

“Oh, Ranvir and I were just catching up,” Giovanni moved his head to the side and lo and behold, there on FaceTime was Ranvir.

“Oh my God,” he mumbled, the penny finally dropping.

“Hi Kai!” Ranvir called, offering him a wave through the screen.

“Hiya,” he replied, shaking himself out of his stupor so as not to appear rude.

“I hear you’ve been helping this one move in,” she said, clearly trying to make polite conversation.

“Yeah, he’s got a lot of stuff,”

“Most of it mirrors?” Ranvir asked as Giovanni spluttered in indignation. She laughed and Kai watched as his friend’s eyes turned soft as he looked at her.

“Something like that,” Kai mumbled, still slightly stunned that Ranvir was who he was talking to, “I’m gonna go finish that tea, it was good to see you!”

“Bye Kai!” She called. Giovanni shot him a smile over his shoulder and then returned his attention to the phone.

Kai padded down the hallway and back into the kitchen, his mind working double time. He had no clue how long he was pacing for before Giovanni appeared in the kitchen.

“I changed my mind on the tea,” he said, “everything okay mate?”

“Ranvir?!” Kai spluttered. Giovanni raised an eyebrow at him.

“What about her?”

“The pineapple pizza, that’s for her isn’t it? And the leggings? They’re hers too and I’ll put money on the Tupperware leftovers being her handwriting!”

Giovanni had turned a charming shade of fuchsia.

“Kai,” he said slowly, placing his hands out in front of him as if taming a wild horse.

“And you’re in love with her?” He cried.

“Were you listening to us?!” Giovanni was outraged now.

“I didn’t mean to, I came to ask about the tea and I heard you talking, I had no idea it was Ranvir until you said,” Kai had stopped pacing now, his words rambling as he stared in shock at Giovanni.

“You cannot tell a single soul,” the man in question said quietly.

“You’ve been so happy these past few months I thought it was down to Strictly and being able to dance properly again but I never guessed…” Kai trailed off, his face splitting into a wide grin. “Gio I’m thrilled for you,”

“You are?” The Italian looked slightly taken aback and Kai threw his arms around him, patting him on the back heavily.

“Of course I am! I knew you two had something special but,” he could feel Giovanni was grinning too, “did she say she loved you back?”

“I asked her to forget I said anything,”

“Why?” Kai asked, pulling back to look his friend in the face.

“I’d rather say it to her face,”

“A love confession on FaceTime,” Kai marvelled, “Very 2020,”

Giovanni laughed.

“Seriously Gio, congratulations,”

“Thank you, I’m very happy,” the smile on his face confirming his feelings.

Kai couldn’t resist teasing him.

“Even though she likes pineapple on pizza?”

“Even though she likes pineapple on pizza,” Giovanni affirmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah you guys!! I had such a positive response to this yesterday I'm so thrilled you're all suggesting people you want to see! I completely forgot to mention (although it's probably obvious by now) this is just going to be several one shots of how people found out about R&G - it's not going to follow a timeline so they can all be read as standalones :)  
> So far I've got Zoe, Gorka, Clara, Aljaz, Janette, Dianne, Piers & Susanna chapters but if there's anyone else you'd like, I'll do my best to write them! I'm also aiming for a chapter a day so... pray for me  
> Oh!! And this is for the person who requested a pineapple on pizza oneshot in one of my previous works! Hope this is what you were after!


	3. Look At This Idiotic Fool (That You Made Me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> London traffic is gridlocked and Zoe has some gossip to catch.

Zoe unclipped the microphone from her shirt, shimmying a little to encourage the wire to slide down her chest and into her hand. She carefully placed the pack on the sofa in the studio and gave a quick heads up to a runner passing by.

With a sigh, Zoe stepped from the stage and headed for the Green Room. It had been a long evening of filming multiple episodes to air over the coming days and she was shattered. She couldn’t wait to go home, have a nice hot bath and put her feet up. Her phone buzzed with a message from her driver advising he was going to be a little late due to an accident on the road. Zoe sighed and flopped down on the sofa in the Green Room; her bath would have to wait. She shot a quick acknowledgement text back and proceeded to curl up, clutching one of the nearby cushions to her chest. She closed her eyes and could feel herself beginning to drift off, the familiar background noises of the studio lulling her into sleep.

-

Zoe awoke with a start, a door slamming somewhere in the building throwing her back into consciousness. Blearily she checked her phone; an hour had passed but she still had no messages from her driver.

“I just don’t think it’s right!”

The presenter sat up a little on the sofa, her attention caught by the sound of a male voice nearby.

“Well what do you want me to do about it? I can’t make him take the message back,” a female voice replied.

Edging closer to the wall the sound was coming from, Zoe waited for the reply.

“I don’t like that he thinks he can just message you and that that’s okay,”

The accent sounded familiar, was that…Giovanni?

“He didn’t message me directly, he messaged my sister; I blocked him years ago,”

So that must be Ranvir replying? Intrigued, Zoe pressed her ear to what she assumed was their dressing room wall. She loved backstage gossip and these two seemed to be the source of it this season. What could they be arguing about? Zoe heard the creak of springs and imagined someone had taken a seat on the old armchair in the room. Man these walls were thin.

“That’s not the point,”

“Well I’m not going to reply,” Ranvir said, she was met with silence from her dance partner and Zoe heard her sigh in frustration. “I’m never going to go back to him Giovanni,” she said softly.

Zoe’s mouth dropped open as she pieced the puzzle together. It sounded like Ranvir’s ex had reached out to her sister and Giovanni was not happy about it. Briefly, Zoe wondered if the rumours about their partnership were true but she dismissed the thought as soon as it appeared. Giovanni was just the kind of person who was a natural flirt; there was nothing really behind it – no matter how much she’d like the rumours to be true.

“I know,” Giovanni said, his voice softer, “I’m not worried about that, have you seen me?” He teased and Zoe heard Ranvir giggle - maybe there was something behind the rumours. “I just think you’ve come so far and you’re still growing it’s not right that he wants to be part of that now, especially since he's the reason-”

“Like I said, I’m not replying and I don’t even want to think about him anymore. He’s firmly in my past,” she said cutting him off.

“Where he belongs,” Giovanni agreed.

Zoe heard Ranvir laugh and smiled to herself. These two were so unintentionally sweet; Giovanni consistently building her up and showing her her worth whilst Ranvir glowed in his presence. They were such a lovely couple and after the previous week’s Cha Cha she wasn’t surprised at all to see them continuing to grow closer. In the interview today it seemed as though they’d had a breakthrough this week.

“Let’s forget about him,” Ranvir said.

“Do you want to practice anything for Saturday?”

“In here?”

“I know it’s small but we can make it work,” Giovanni replied.

Bored of the direction the conversation was taking and assuming there would be no more gossip, Zoe stood up and moved to the window looking out over the London traffic. It seemed like everyone was gridlocked and she presumed that must be true considering her final guests of the day Ranvir and Giovanni were still in the building. She leant against the windowsill feeling the cool press of the glass against her forehead with a sigh. How much longer was she going to have to wait to go home?

Just as she stepped back from the window a loud bang echoed around the Green Room. Zoe raised an eyebrow, tentatively heading back towards the sofa. It had sounded like something had been thrown against the wall and she wondered if she should poke her head in and make sure everything was okay.

“Why you got to wear jumpsuits all the time?”

Ranvir’s laugh came from a lot closer than Zoe expected and she wondered if maybe the sound had been one of them accidentally bashing into the wall whilst rehearsing.

“Don’t you like this one?”

“I love this one,” Giovanni replied, his voice suddenly a lot closer too, “but I want it off,”

Off? Why would he want her to take her jumpsuit- Zoe’s brain stalled. The only reason Giovanni would want Ranvir’s jumpsuit off of her was if- oh good God this was the gossip of the century. Zoe hopped up onto the sofa with glee desperate to hear more and confirm that this was indeed happening.

“Well at least you only have one piece of clothing to remove,” Ranvir replied, her breathing heavier, “I have to contend with a jacket, a shirt and trousers,”

“Just be glad I’m not in a three piece suit,”

“I’ll be glad when you’re not wearing anything,” she retorted.

Jumping back from the wall as if she had electrified, Zoe’s eyes went wide. There could be no other explanation for that kind of talk, could there? She felt like she could run a marathon the amount of adrenaline running through her was so high. She settled for a few quick jumps on the spot, a huge grin on her face as she realised they were together. Or, if not together, at least hooking up.

Very quickly Zoe came to the realisation that if she stayed in the Green Room she was going to hear way more than she wanted to. The pair had stopped talking now and she could only imagine they’d moved onto more tactile displays of affection. With nowhere else to go, Zoe moved back to the window, opening it wide and being greeted with the glorious sounds of London traffic. She sighed in relief. Whilst she was absolutely ecstatic for the pair of them she certainly did not need to hear how ecstatic they were for each other.

This was quite seriously the news of the century. She knew she had spotted something between them the first time she had interviewed them (his hand had never left her knee after all and he couldn't go two seconds without praising her) but she never imagined it would translate into a relationship. It made sense in its own weird way, Zoe thought, they were polar opposites but somehow they had clicked and now, they just made sense. She couldn’t imagine one without the other by their side.

She had no idea how long she stayed in the cold for but when her phone buzzed with a message from her driver she knew she had to shut the window and leave the building. Pulling it closed, Zoe waited with baited breath for any sounds on the other side of the wall. She waited a good few moments in silence before deciding it must be safe for her to leave. Quickly she grabbed her jacket, slid her mask on and practically sprinted from the room.

“Oh! Hey Zoe!” Ranvir called when she was halfway up the corridor. She too was zipping her coat up and wearing a mask. Giovanni just slightly behind her, her bag over his shoulder as he offered Zoe a wave.

“Oh, hey guys,” she replied.

“Did you get stuck here too?” Giovanni asked as they approached, keeping their distance.

“Yeah, something about an accident,”

“Ah you should’ve said, we’ve just been hanging out in the dressing room – we didn’t think there was anyone else here,” Ranvir said as they continued their walk up the corridor.

Zoe could feel the flush creeping up her neck. She could barely look them in the eye knowing what they’d been up to when they thought no-one else was around.

“I’ve just been in the Green Room for the past hour,” she said as the three of them entered the stairwell.

“The Green Room?” Ranvir asked, the colour noticeably draining from her face.

“Uhuh,” Zoe affirmed, still refusing to look at either of them.

The trio were silent as Zoe pushed open the fire door and they all exited into the night.

“Isn’t that next to the dressing room?” She heard Giovanni whisper to Ranvir.

She really just wished this conversation would be over. As happy as she was for the pair of them it was still pretty embarrassing to admit she’d overheard way more than she wanted to. Sure it had partially been her fault for being so nosey but she had to get her gossip from somewhere! Deciding to put them both out of their misery Zoe stopped just before her car.

“I uh,” she stalled, unsure if she could actually tell them, “listen, I overheard you guys talking and,” she trailed off, “doing other things,”

Ranvir sunk her head into her hands as a small whine escaped her.

“Zoe, we are so sorry,” Giovanni said, his hand on Ranvir’s lower back. So definitely more than just hooking up, Zoe mused.

“No it’s fine, I stuck my head out of the window when I realised what was happening,”

Ranvir barked out a laugh.

“Oh my God, we owe you the world’s biggest apology not to mention like a fruit basket or something,” she said, finally looking up at the presenter.

“It’s fine you guys,” Zoe assured them with a smile before remembering she was wearing a mask, “I’m genuinely so happy for you two,”

“Thank you,” they replied simultaneously. She watched, slightly amused as Giovanni looked down at his partner warmly.

“Just, maybe try and remember the walls are super thin at Elstree,” she teased.

Zoe laughed to herself as they both turned pink. She opened the car door and slid into the warmth watching through the window as Ranvir hit Gio on the arm, the pair of them laughing about something together.  
Sometimes, Zoe mused, she really loved her job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow it's Clara & Aljaz's turn to find out!


	4. I Want Your Midnights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranvir needs a power nap, but just for fifteen minutes okay?

Today had been an exceptionally long day and it was only 11am, Giovanni mused. He ran a hand through his hair as he studied his dishevelled appearance. Although he would never admit it out loud, he was tired. He chanced a glance across the room at his dance partner dutifully practising her steps and smiled softly at her. She caught his eye in the mirror and smiled back.

“You look sleepy,” she said as he took a sip of water, eyes still trained directly on her.

“I’m not used to getting up for interviews so early,” Giovanni replied, picking up her water bottle and taking it to her. She murmured a quick thank you before taking a long drink.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure that eight AM wake up call was really difficult,” she said rolling her eyes.

“It was six actually,” Giovanni replied, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly.

“Your hair takes that long does it?” She asked, purposefully reaching up to run her fingers through the long strands.

“Perfection takes time,”

Ranvir grinned cheekily up at him as he batted her hand away. She handed him back her water and he returned both bottles to the corner of the room managing to catch her halfway through a yawn as he turned back around.

“Telling me I’m sleepy, what about you?” He asked with a pointed stare at her mouth.

“Yes, well I had a three AM wake up call,” she replied, “what time is it anyway? Aren’t we due a little break?”

Giovanni checked his watch. To be fair, they had put in a good few hours this week and the dance was as close to perfection as they could get it without pushing Ranvir into overthinking mode. The sofa was starting to look very inviting even though it went against his natural predisposition to work until he collapsed.

“Okay fine, a ten minute power nap,” he relented.

“Fifteen,” she bargained giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

He couldn’t resist her and damn did she know how to use it against him.

“Fine, fifteen, but we’ll make up for it at the end of the day, okay?”

Ranvir just grinned back at him.

“Are you joining me today?” She asked as she made her way over to the sofa. She sat on the arm as she slid her shoes off and stared back at him.

He really, really wanted to, not only did the sofa look ridiculously comfortable but the prospect of having Ranvir in his arms in a non-work related capacity was almost too good to say no to. He’d desperately tried to put up a barrier between them in the training room, explaining to her that this was his professional environment and that they should at least try and keep up the pretence that nothing was happening between them. They could be their usual tactile selves at lunch and in the time when they weren’t in rehearsals but this room was strictly for work. She had readily agreed, not yet sure she wanted to share their affection with the world and with her own job she understood fully the pressures of remaining professional in the workplace.

Giovanni opened his mouth to say no thinking maybe he’d pop to the coffee place up the road and bring them back drinks but he found himself physically incapable, everything in him wanting to say yes. He quickly sifted through the pros and cons of taking a nap. The pros? The camera crew weren’t due until tomorrow so he could be sure they wouldn’t be spotted, there was nothing better than falling asleep with Ranvir in his arms and he really could with that nap. The cons? Well, he couldn’t think of any really aside from fifteen minutes of lost rehearsal time. Instead of denying himself, the Italian nodded with a small sigh and padded over to the sofa. The grin on Ranvir’s face was enough to vanquish any lingering doubts he had.

He slipped his shoes off, pressing himself into the back of the sofa as he readjusted a nearby cushion. Giovanni opened his arms up and, not needing to be told twice, Ranvir comfortably slotted into the space he’d made for her. Feeling inexplicably whole, Gio wrapped his arms around her back as she slid a leg in between his, her head resting on his chest as her fingers curled around his t-shirt. He took a deep breath allowing her scent to completely consume him as his eyes fluttered closed.

This was as close to perfection as he could get. There was something about having the person he adored in his arms and the peace it instilled within him that just made the world stop turning. Giovanni had no idea that this was what a relationship could be like; two people coming together and forming one in the purest sense, but he was completely on board with it. He was going to enjoy these next fifteen, maybe twenty minutes he thought to himself as sleep finally took over.

-

“Are they asleep?”

“That’s what it looks like,”

Giovanni stirred a little and the voices quieted. His half-awake conscious told him this was a dream and that he should go back to sleep but some other part of him told him to keep listening.

“Well should we wake them?” The female asked.

“Let me get a picture first,” the male snickered.

Giovanni would know that accent anywhere. Slowly he opened his eyes to be met with a giggling Aljaz and a grinning Clara.

“Morning sleepy head,” Aljaz smirked.

His first thought was Ranvir. He glanced down to make sure she was still asleep and had not witnessed them being watched like zoo animals. Her fingers had loosened slightly in sleep, but she was still glued to his front, her breathing deep and even. Content she wasn’t yet awake, Giovanni turned back to the two in front of him, both looking deliriously smug.

“What’re you doing here?” He whispered.

“You guys were supposed to be out of here an hour ago, this is our rehearsal room for the afternoon.” Clara replied quietly, her arms folded over her chest.

“What’re _you_ doing here?” Aljaz asked, a cheeky grin on his face.

“Ranvi needed a nap,”

“Oh and you decided to join her for a friendly cuddle did you?” Clara asked, her smug smile back in place.

“We both had early starts,” he tried to defend them. Carefully Giovanni lifted his arm from Ranvir’s back, checking his watch for the time. It appeared they had been asleep for nearly two hours longer than their allotted fifteen minutes. “fuck,” he grumbled.

“Giovanni?” The woman in his arms blinked blearily up at him. With her back to the two intruders, she had no clue they were no longer alone. “What time is it?” She asked, shifting a little to bring herself closer to him.

“Way later than it should be,” he replied, gently trying to extract himself from her. He was very conscious of both Clara and Aljaz staring at them and giggling from a little way away. They were far enough back that they probably couldn’t hear what Ranvir was saying but they could definitely see the compromising position they were in.

“Time to get back to work?” She asked.

“Uh,” Giovanni stalled, “time to go home actually,”

“Shit, really?” Ranvir replied, pulling his arm toward her to check the time for herself.

Unable to help himself, Gio pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen in her eyes as she gripped his arm to see his watch. Ranvir tilted her head up and smiled softly at him. Before he could stop her she leant forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. Giovanni stiffened, his whole body frozen.

“What’s wrong?” Ranvir asked, she looked scared and, if he was reading her right, rejected. He wanted nothing more in the world than to comfort her but knowing that would actually make the situation worse, he bit his lip and nodded behind her.

He watched Ranvir crane her neck to see what he was looking at and he let out a grunt as she shoved herself away from him and into a standing position.

“Hi guys,” she said with a nervous laugh, “what’re you doing here?”

“We could ask you the same thing,” Aljaz replied. Clara leaned into his shoulder, the grin on her face lighting up the entire room.

“Just needed a quick power nap,” she said.

“With your dance partner?” Clara chimed in.

“Well, Giovanni gets tired too,” she hedged.

“And is the kissing part of the power nap?” Aljaz asked innocently.

Giovanni sighed and stood up, his hand on the small of her back as he took his place beside her.

“I don’t think there’s any getting out of this one darling,” he said softly.

“You couldn’t have warned me they were there before I kissed you?” She hissed.

“I didn’t know that’s what you were going to do!” Gio replied, his gaze switching to the two people in front of him who were doubled over with laughter at their argument.

“Is there any chance,” Ranvir started.

“We won’t tell anyone,” Clara said through her giggles.

“Speak for yourself! I have to tell Janette, I can’t keep anything a secret from her,”

Giovanni rolled his eyes but knew he was right. Janette could get blood out of a stone and she would surely know before the day was out. He sighed and turned back to Ranvir.

“We should probably let them rehearse,” he said. She nodded at him and sat back down on the sofa to put her trainers back on. He moved to grab the remainder of their things, purposefully ignoring Aljaz staring at him, a huge smug grin on his face.

“Hey Ranvir,” Giovanni watched as Clara approached his partner, making sure to keep a safe distance. “Good on you girl,”

“Shut up,” Ranvir laughed, her face turning bright red.

He grinned to himself as he placed their water bottles in his duffel bag. He reached for his phone spotting a couple of texts from Aljaz; he frowned and opened the app to be met with three pictures of Ranvir and himself a mess of tangled limbs and soft smiles as they slept peacefully on the sofa. Giovanni smiled, quickly forwarding them to Ranvir before approaching the girls who were still giggling over something.

“Ready to go?” He asked as he held her coat open for her.

Ranvir slid her arms into the jacket, zipping it up and reaching inside the pocket for her phone.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Giovanni rested his arm around her shoulders and guided her from the room.

Clara and Aljaz, clearly on the same wave length, started a chorus of wolf whistles and catcalls as they left. Giovanni sending a well timed middle finger over his shoulder at Aljaz.

“These pictures are cute,” she said.

“Shame they had to be taken by Aljaz,” he groaned, “him and Janette are going to tease me forever,”

“Tease you?” Ranvir replied, the rejected look back on her face.

“Not because it’s you and me but because we’re napping and cuddling instead of working,” Ranvir raised an eyebrow, still a little confused, “I never take a nap,” he added, “the work is too important.”

“It’s because you can’t resist me,” she smirked.

“You’re not wrong,” Giovanni laughed, gently pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He thought for a moment before saying, “So you want to head to mine or yours to finish that nap?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Gorka next I think! It's only fair since Aljaz knows now ;)


	5. You've Got A Smile That Could Light Up This Whole Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite trio go for a little run in the park until our favourite trio becomes our favourite duo.

“Okay, bets on how late Aljaz will be,” Gorka said with a grin at his friend.

“I give him another 5 minutes before he texts to say he’s running behind,” Giovanni laughed.

Together the pair of them worked through a couple of warm up stretches in the early morning sunlight. The park was a little frosty and Gorka could see his breath in front of him as he gently rolled his ankles side to side. 

“Was it mean to ask him to come today?” Giovanni asked as he slid his airpods into his ears.

“What, because we’re still in the competition and he’s not?” 

Gio nodded and Gorka smirked a little.

“It’s tradition,” he grinned, “first one out buys breakfast,” 

Gorka felt his phone buzz in his pocket, he rolled his eyes as he spotted Aljaz’s message.

“He’s running late,” Giovanni said, clearly having got the same text, “shall we just start?”

“He can catch up when he gets here,” Gorka agreed. 

The pair took to the athletics track making sure to maintain their distance from each other. Gorka popped his headphones in and selected his running playlist from Spotify before beginning a gentle jog for his first lap. It was another ten minutes before Aljaz appeared, Gorka sliding over a couple of lanes so he was in the middle to give Aljaz enough space to join them. The man in question offered them an apologetic grin and wave as he slowly began to run alongside them. 

There were many perks to being on Strictly, one of them being how close the studios were to this park with its own track. The boys had made it a tradition to come for a run every Sunday; they found the fresh air helped to stimulate their brains and they could bounce choreography ideas off of each other once they were done. Then, if they were all still competing they’d go for brunch - lowest score that week paid. Gorka grinned to himself as he thought about the fact he hadn’t had to pay once this series and poor Aljaz had paid for every single brunch except one. 

As one song faded into the next Gorka heard Giovanni’s voice beside him; he turned his volume down to check he wasn’t talking to him, twisting his head to look over at his friend.

“Did you sleep okay?” Giovanni asked. He had a big smile on his face as he listened to the response and then said cheekily, “well there’s an easy way to warm up,”

Gorka confusedly raised an eyebrow as he wondered who he was talking to. 

“Ah, I’m out for a run with Aljaz and Gorka,”

As Giovanni said his name, he looked directly at him.

“Who’re you talking to?” Gorka mouthed.

“Cute?” He spluttered, obviously still talking to whoever was on the phone, “wait, where are you?”

The Spaniard was now officially stumped. He wished he could hear the other half of the conversation but either Gio had the conversation on low or his music was too loud to hear over so he had to make do with just Giovanni’s half. 

“No,” he looked flushed as he waved Gorka away, “I know I’m your favourite,” he said quietly.

Gorka took a deep breath, figuring he’d just ask Gio later. He checked his sports watch noting they were coming to the end of their session anyway. 

“Wait!” Giovanni cried from beside him. 

Gorka looked over in alarm skidding to a stop as Gio pulled his phone from his pocket and quit running altogether. He took his headphones out as his friend desperately pressed buttons on the touchscreen.

“Everything okay mate?” Gorka asked concerned.

Before Giovanni could even look up to reply a dog came bounding onto the track, stopping just in front of him.

“Shmizzels?” Gio asked, bending down to catch him by the collar. 

Gorka watched as a huge grin spread over his face, the dog jumping up and licking him enthusiastically. Who’s dog was this? Gorka wondered and then suddenly all his questions were answered as he spotted Ranvir approaching Giovanni from behind. She was bundled up in a winter coat, dog lead hanging over her shoulder as she pocketed her phone. 

“Where’s your Mum buddy?” Giovanni asked out loud, still stroking the tiny dog’s head. 

“Hey Gorka!” Ranvir called, waving at him.

“Ranvir! Is this your dog?” Gorka replied as Giovanni spun in the direction of her voice. He watched as the Italian let a slow grin spread over his face, Shmizzels running back to her. She bent down to pop the lead back on his collar. 

“Yeah, sorry he interrupted you guys,” 

“We were pretty much done anyway,” Giovanni said, still smiling as he walked the rest of the way to meet her in the middle.

“Speak for yourself,” Gorka mumbled, Aljaz appearing at his side.

The two of them watched in silence as Ranvir threw her arms around Giovanni’s neck and he lifted her slightly from the ground. Aljaz was grinning knowingly and Gorka cocked an eyebrow at him.

“What’s up with you?” He asked.

“Hmm?” The brunette turned to face him, the smile slipping slightly, “oh nothing, do you want to get a drink whilst they catch up?” 

Gorka nodded, still suspicious. The pair walked back to where they had abandoned their things which thankfully for him was still within hearing distance of Ranvir and Giovanni’s conversation. 

“You didn’t mention anything last night,” the Italian was saying.

“I wanted to bring Shmizzels to the dog park here and then remembered you said you were coming,”

“Missed me already did you?” 

Gorka raised an eyebrow, purposefully pulling his phone from his pocket so it didn’t look like he was eavesdropping. The pair were stood close together, one of Giovanni’s hands in Ranvir’s as they talked. He chanced a glance over at Aljaz who hadn’t batted an eyelid at their proximity and frowned even harder. Did Aljaz know something he didn’t?

“No!” Ranvir laughed, “I can go a day without seeing you,”

“Oh really?” Giovanni asked sceptically.

“You want me to prove it?”

“No!” He replied quickly, using his hand to tug her in closer to him. Ranvir placed her hand on his chest to stop herself from barrelling into him as she laughed. Giovanni leant down and placed a kiss on the top of her head, “do you want some company on your dog walk?”

“I won’t take you away from the boys,” she said softly, not stepping back from his space. 

“Eh, I can see them whenever,” Giovanni shrugged, shifting his fingers to interlink with hers as she smiled up at him. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow don’t forget,”

Gorka watched surprised at the soft display of emotion his friend was showing to his dance partner. He never passed up an opportunity to tease Aljaz over paying for brunch but now he wanted to go for a dog walk with Ranvir instead? 

“Are you hearing this?” Gorka asked Aljaz who had been scrolling through his Instagram. Aljaz looked up and over in the direction of Gio and Ranvir.

“Huh? Oh, cute aren’t they?” He asked distractedly with a smile. 

“He’s ditching us for her,” Gorka replied incredulously. 

“Well duh,” Aljaz shrugged, “I’m not surprised,”

“Why?” 

“Well-” Aljaz cut himself off as if realising that maybe he knew more than Gorka did. “They’re good friends aren’t they?” 

“But we’re good friends too,” 

“Yeah,”

“So…” Gorka furrowed his brow, “why would he brush us off for her?”

Aljaz flushed and returned to his Instagram, desperately avoiding eye contact.

“I don’t know buddy,” 

Gorka sighed, clearly he was getting nowhere with him. Just as he was about to start a new line of questioning Giovanni approached the group, his fingers still interlocked with Ranvir’s. 

“I’m gonna meet you guys at the food truck in a minute,” he said, “we’re just going up to the dog park,” Giovanni pointed a little way in the distance.

“Good to see you boys,” Ranvir smiled, a distinct flush on her face. 

They waved them off and immediately Gorka turned to Aljaz.

“Alright, what you know that I don’t?”

“What do you mean?” Aljaz replied, his eyes firmly on his phone.

“Why is he walking her to the dog park that’s like fifty feet away?”

“Because he wants to?”

“Aljaz!” 

The Slovenian finally looked up at him with a sigh. 

“You’ll have to ask Gio, it’s not my place,”

“So there is something going on!” Gorka cried, “I knew it!”

“Speak to Gio, not me,” Aljaz shrugged, he fidgeted uncomfortably and Gorka knew he had the truth. He waited a moment and then:

“How did you find out?” He asked.

“I’m not saying anything!” Aljaz laughed.

Gorka looked over as Giovanni wrapped his arm around Ranvir’s shoulders, her own slung around his back comfortably as they walked, Shmizzels pulling them toward the park. They were talking but were too far away for him to hear what they were talking about. He watched as Ranvir tipped her head back and laughed, Gio grinning at her as if she hung the stars. 

He couldn’t really say he was surprised – maybe surprised it had taken them this long to work it out but not surprised to see the blossoming relationship before his very eyes. Their connection had been palpable from day one, natural chemistry off the charts despite their denials. Initially, Giovanni had confided in him that it had been difficult; they were opposite ends of the spectrum and he had had no idea how to deal with that. But slowly, they had built up an incredible friendship and clearly that had continually developed and deepened into a romantic connection. It was something Gorka was very familiar with and he couldn’t help but be thrilled his friend had finally found someone worthy of his time. Someone who knew what they wanted, who he’d connected with and someone who could give him the life he so deserved. 

Gorka grinned as he watched Ranvir press up on her tiptoes to kiss Giovanni goodbye. He couldn’t wait to tell Gemma Mia had a new auntie and he couldn’t wait to tease the man himself either. He shook his head, still in mild disbelief as Ranvir began to walk into the dog park, Giovanni not letting her get too far before he pulled her back to him to kiss her again. Maybe brunch should be on Gio for keeping it a secret from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If we lived in a COVID free world I would've written something about Gio playing with Mia and Ranvir watching him and that's how Gorka figured it out. But since these are supposed to be as realistic as possible, it had to be a socially distanced jog instead. Apologies.  
> Don't forget, if there's any other's you'd like to see find out, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to involve them :)


	6. All These People Think Love's For Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a couple of years but finally Piers is in for the shock of a lifetime.

**September 2022**

“Oh, I meant to tell you,” Susanna said as Ranvir passed her in the ITV studio, “there’s a package at reception for you,”

“Thank you,” Ranvir smiled at her co-worker as a make-up artist appeared out of nowhere to re-apply heavier blush for the cameras.

“Did you have a good holiday?”

“It was so nice,” she replied, her eyes scanning the auto-queue, “T got too much sun though,”

“Italy will do that to you,” Susanna grinned as Piers took his seat next to her.

“Good to have you back Ranvir,” he said, fidgeting with his suit button.

“Thanks Piers, it’s good to be back,”

“I’ve got your birthday present hanging around here from the wife,” he told her, “I’ll bring it up to you after the show,”

“Aw that’s really sweet of her,” Ranvir held a hand to her chest, touched that Piers’ wife Celia would be so inclined to get her a gift. “I’ll be around most of today, got a lot of catching up to do,” she sighed.

“Well that’s what happens when you go on holiday for two weeks,” he smirked, “too much alcohol was it?”

“She was on a family holiday Piers!” Susanna cried as Ranvir grinned.

“Doesn’t stop you,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Just you and your son Ranvir?”

She made a noise of affirmation as her make-up artist applied another coat of lipstick, thankful that her lips were otherwise engaged. Whilst Susanna knew it had not been just the two of them, she didn’t exactly want Piers to know that. The man was a gossip legend and the further away from her private life she could keep him, the better.

Ranvir headed to her corner of the studio ready to end her segment and pass over to Piers and Susanna before finally get to work going through her emails.

-

Ranvir’s dressing room was just the same as she remembered it. A little bit bigger than her first ITV one, it held a small sofa and armchair, a vanity and a corner desk that looked out the window to the grass a few storeys down.

She had missed a lot in the last two weeks; not that she regretted the vacation time, she thought wistfully as she remembered mornings on the balcony, Giovanni’s arms wrapped around her as they took in the sunrise. The long beach walks and building sandcastles with her son in the day followed by evenings at the kids club and talking into the early hours with Gio about their future – it had all been glorious and she wouldn’t change a second of the holiday. Except maybe coming back to over six hundred emails, that actually kinda sucked.

Ranvir worked steadfastly all morning wondering if either of her boys were awake yet. The jet lag had been awful this morning despite there being only an hours time difference and she wouldn’t be surprised if they were still asleep, although it was nearly lunchtime and they both loved their food. She sighed and decided to take a break, clearly her mind was elsewhere (namely a gorgeous beach in Sicily). Staring at a screen for too long couldn’t be good for her especially after two weeks of relaxation. She decided to pop over to reception and grab the package Susanna had mentioned. If it was what she thought it was she could get it wrapped and ready here with Giovanni being none the wiser until his birthday in a few days time.

A few moments later she returned to her dressing room, package in hand. She closed the door and opened the parcel pulling the t-shirt from its cellophane. Ranvir took a few moments to grin at the white tee, laying it out flat on the small coffee table. He would love it, she was sure. Her phone buzzed with a notification and she pulled the offending object from her pocket.

_‘T’s asking if he can have pancakes for breakfast – thoughts?’_

Ranvir rolled her eyes – trust her son to try and get one up on her whilst she wasn’t at home. She was just about to reply when her phone buzzed with another text.

_‘By the way, you were glowing on TV, Italy suits you my darling xx’_

She grinned, Giovanni was such a charmer. A knock on her door pulled her back to reality and she shouted for the intruder to come in as she composed a replying text.

 _‘It’s his last day before school tomorrow, let him have the pancakes’_ followed by _‘You’re too sweet, love you xx’_

“How was your first day back?” Piers asked as he walked into the room, a large rectangular box in his hands.

“Good thanks, haven’t missed these emails though,” she gestured to her work laptop with a grimace as she pocketed her phone.

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” he held out the box in his hand as he approached her, “this is from Celia,”

Ranvir took the box with a smile as Piers collapsed on the small sofa in her room.

“Bless her, I’ll give her a call tonight and thank her,”

“Hey, what’s this?”

Ranvir turned back to face him, the smile sliding from her features as she spotted the white tee in his hands. She’d been so distracted by the text from Giovanni and thoughts of them having breakfast without her for the first time in two weeks she’d completely forgotten about the t-shirt on the coffee table.

“Oh that?” She fumbled, the words ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ staring back at her in a large black font, “it’s a gift for a friend,”

“Oh right,” he said, seemingly placated until a little frown line appeared above his brow, “wait a minute, you got a friend a t-shirt that says ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ on it?”

A litany of swear words swum through Ranvir’s brain as the dressing room door swung open. She whirled around to find Susanna staring at her phone as she walked in.

“Did you manage to get hold of the doctor? I spoke to-” She said before finally looking up and stopping in her tracks, her eyes going comically wide.

Ranvir squeezed her own eyes shut tightly, her back still to Piers as she prayed she would just disappear or wake up from this nightmare scenario safely tucked up in bed, Giovanni’s solid form behind her. When nothing but stunned silence seemed to echo around her dressing room, Ranvir opened her eyes slowly.

“You told Piers?” Susanna asked in a loud whisper.

Fuck.

“Ranvir,” she slowly turned back around to Piers’ voice, “are you,” he paused his eyes shifting to her stomach, “pregnant?”

Even bigger fuck.

How on earth was she going to explain this one away? Piers couldn’t know, not before Giovanni. She desperately scanned her brain for something to say that would help but came up short. It seemed as though there was no escape and no logical way to get out of this ridiculous situation.

“I’m so sorry,” Susanna said, she held her hands up in front of her as she slowly retreated from the room. “I thought you were alone,”

“Don’t you dare leave,” Piers said as he folded the t-shirt in his hands, placing it back on the coffee table. “So it’s true? You are pregnant?”

Ranvir sighed heavily, there was nothing else for it but to tell him the truth. Honestly, it was a miracle she’d kept dating Giovanni a secret for two years considering both their statuses in the media and Piers’ prying nature.

“Yes, it’s true,”

“Congratulations!” He said, “or is it not like that?”

“No, it’s a good thing,” she mumbled, mortified to be talking about this with Piers.

“Then congratulations!” He grinned, “who’s the father?”

“No-one you know,” Ranvir managed to say through gritted teeth, “but he doesn’t know yet, obviously,” she said, gesturing to the t-shirt, “so I’d really rather we didn’t say anything else until he does,”

“Say no more,” Piers said, standing up from the sofa and straightening his suit jacket.

“Wait, really?” Ranvir asked, surprised. She had assumed he would poke at her until he got the truth.

“I’d hate it if Celia told another man before me, so I won’t say any more until he knows,”

“Wow,” she blinked hard, still in shock, “thank you,”

“I assume you’re telling him soon,”

“September fifth,” she affirmed, “it’s a birthday surprise,”

Piers hummed in thought and then withdrew his phone from his pocket.

“Hey Siri, when’s Giovanni Pernice’s birthday?”

Susanna cackled from the doorway and Ranvir flushed a brilliant red.

“Giovanni Pernice’s birthday is September fifth nineteen ninety,” the robot responded.

“I knew it!

“That’s cheating,” she mumbled as Piers grinned doggishly at her.

“I never said I played fair, besides, it was pretty obvious,” he shrugged.

“Obvious?” Ranvir asked incredulously.

“Come off it,” he mocked, “Strictly changed you a couple of years ago and now you go to Italy twice a year, you’ve got a nice, shiny new ring on your finger and we could all tell you were finally getting some action,”

“Piers!”

“That was a bit mean Piers,” Susanna said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Don’t you start! I can’t believe you knew and didn’t tell me!” He cried indignantly.

“Why would I tell you news that isn’t mine?” She retorted.

“That’s our entire job Susanna,”

“Guys,” Ranvir interrupted, massaging her temples.

“Just pretend I don’t know anything,” Piers said. He looked the tiniest bit sheepish at his behaviour as he approached his co-worker. “I swear I won’t tell another soul,”

“Sure,” Ranvir rolled her eyes, not believing a single word he said.

“You managed to keep it almost secret from me for literal years, consider this your prize for doing so,”

“Come on Piers, let’s leave her to it,”

“Seriously Ranvir,” she looked up at him, “congratulations, I’m really happy for you two,”

“Thank you,” she sighed placing her hands on her hips.

“I promise to keep it secret,”

“Okay,” he gently patted her on the arm before following Susanna from the room and closing the door behind him. “Jesus Christ,” she groaned the second they had left and flopped down onto the sofa.

  
Well this wasn’t how she’d expected her first day back at work to go. She couldn’t believe Piers knew she was pregnant and before she’d even been able to tell her two boys! Gently, Ranvir rested a hand on her stomach and exhaled deeply.

“Looks like we’re going to have to tell your Dad before his birthday,” she sighed. “Maybe it will be a nice early surprise,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've got a gorgeous pregnancy fic from the wonderful Adelina_Ophelia so I couldn't help myself with this one. I also left it kind of open ended so if you'd like to see Gio finding out I'm more than happy to write it :)  
> P.S I don't think Ranvir will still be on GMB next year but for the sake of having to work with Piers, she's still there in this one.


	7. Give you My Wild, Give You A Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usually Giovanni is in on the secret keeping, this time Ranvir has something pretty special to tell him.  
> This is a part two to the Piers chapter 'All These People Think Love's For Show' but can be read as a standalone

Giovanni cut Tushaan’s sandwich in two, placing one on top of the other and wrapping it in cling foil. He added the sandwiches to T’s lunchbox and then turned back to the cutting board, slicing up some carrots as a snack.

Today had been such a good day; Ranvir had completely spoiled him as she always did on his birthday and the day wasn’t even over yet. They’d taken an early morning walk with Shmizzels through the park before returning home for a cooked breakfast (made by Ranvir but if asked, Tushaan) and, of course, presents. She’d really outdone herself this year, he thought as he checked his new watch for the time. She’d be finished putting Tushaan to bed any minute and then would join him for a glass of wine on the sofa. He debated for a few seconds and then cut a slice of the birthday cake on the side, wrapping it in tin foil and hiding it in the bottom of Tushaan’s lunch. Ranvir liked him to only have healthy snacks at school but Giovanni didn’t see the harm in a little bit of chocolate cake in his first week back. 

He smiled to himself as he thought about the drawing the child in question had made him for his birthday. Ranvir had framed it for him and he had wrapped it in Star Wars wrapping paper, handing it to him with a toothy grin. The picture was of the four of them, Shmizzels included, all holding hands as they walked on the beach. There was also a random dinosaur in the corner that Tushaan pointed out was his favourite and his own personal signature scribble on the back of the frame, ‘just for you Gio,’ he’d grinned. It was maybe the best gift he’d received today. 

“He’s out for the count,”

Giovanni looked over his shoulder, smiling as Ranvir padded into the kitchen still wearing a loose fitting t-shirt dress. He’d asked her about it earlier since it wasn’t exactly her usual style, although she still looked beautiful, and she’d told him she was feeling the extra holiday weight. He’d laughed her off and placed another slice of cake in front of her with an indulgent grin.

“Do you think he’ll want apple and blackcurrant or orange squash?” He asked, returning to the present.

There was a long silence as Giovanni rooted around the cupboard for Tushaan’s bottle. He finally pulled out the container and opened the cupboard containing the squash.

“Ranvi?”

Giovanni turned around to face her when she still hadn’t answered him. She was sitting at the breakfast bar staring out the back doors into the garden. It was still fairly early in the evening and the sun was setting behind their garden fence, casting the most obscene shades of pink and orange into the kitchen.

“Everything okay baby?” He asked, placing the bottle on the side and moving to stand directly in front of her, hoping to get her attention.

“Huh?” Ranvir finally looked up at him, “yeah,” she said with a small smile, “just thinking,”

“What you thinking about?”

“You,”

Her usually dark eyes looked hazel in the light and Gio couldn’t help but trace the side of her face with his finger as he leant on the counter.

“Me?” He asked quietly, still mesmerised by her.

“How much I love you,” she said softly, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes.

“I love you too,”

Giovanni didn’t have enough words in either his English or Italian vocabulary to define how much she meant to him so he settled for leaning over to rest his forehead against hers, the hand that was tracing her face sliding into her hair.

“I love you more than you can ever know,” he almost whispered before pressing his lips against hers. A pleased sound came from one of them, he couldn’t tell who and he deepened the kiss almost immediately.

“Giovanni,” Ranvir said, pulling back slightly her hands on his chest, “I have another gift for you,”

He drew back further, his brow furrowed as he watched her reach under the counter and place a box in front of him.

“Didn’t we already do presents?” He asked, confused.

“This one’s from the whole family,” she patted the lid.

Giovanni raised an eyebrow, now more confused than ever. What could possibly be in this box that was from both Ranvir and Tushaan? Ranvir hummed across from him, resting her head in her palms as she stared nervously at the box.

“What it is?” He asked, more referring to her nervousness than the gift.

“Open it and find out,” she finally looked up at him and shifted in her seat, “and before you ask, it’s okay with me,”

“What’s okay with you?”

“Open it and see!” She laughed, eyes bright.

The Italian was lost. Deciding not to waste any more time thinking about the possibilities of what was inside the box, he lifted the lid and spotted a piece of white fabric folded on top. He assumed it was a t-shirt and began to lift it out, the fabric unfolding as he did so.

His heart stopped beating as he stared at the words ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ printed on the front. There was absolute silence in the kitchen as the fabric fell from his hands landing straight back in the box. Giovanni could feel his eyes fill with tears as he steadfastly looked anywhere but at Ranvir lest she got the wrong impression.

“Tushaan was nervous to ask you so we decided on this,” she said, quietly gesturing to the t-shirt slumped over the box, “you don’t have to if you don’t want to-“

“I do,” Giovanni said, snapping out of his trance, “of course I do,” he brushed the tears from his cheeks and swallowed hard as he looked at her. She was smiling, her tongue poking out between her teeth.

“You do?”

“Yes,” he affirmed, nodding enthusiastically as he let out a little laugh, “he really wants to call me Dad?” he asked in wonderment.

“Yeah,”

“Shit,”

Ranvir giggled as he pulled out the chair opposite her. His legs felt like they were going to give way; this gorgeous little boy wanted to be his son? It was more than he could’ve ever asked for. The lump in his throat burned as he stared at Ranvir in disbelief.

“He asked me when we were with your parents,” she said reaching for his hands to stop him fidgeting with his ring, “since they insist on being called Nonna and Nonno he said he didn’t understand why he didn’t call you Dad too,”

“Oh my God,” his voice came out as a hushed whisper, more tears falling from his eyes as he thought about T approaching Ranvir to nervously ask if he’d want to be called Dad. “I’m a Dad?” He asked more to himself than anyone else.

Ranvir barked out a laugh.

“You’ve been his Dad for much longer than today,” she shifted their fingers to interlock them and smiled softly up at him, “this just makes it unofficially official, he’s your son now, our son now,” she corrected herself.

“I don’t know what to say,”

Giovanni was completely stunned. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest as he stared at Ranvir. Never could he have guessed that, two years ago, almost to the day, she’d have swanned into his life and seven hundred odd days later given him a son. He choked back a sob as she lifted their hands to wipe his tears away. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles trying to convey how grateful and amazed he was at this turn of events. There was absolutely nothing that could top this.

“There’s something else in the box,” she said, letting go of his hands to nudge the gift back in front of him. He pushed it away.

“I don’t want it,” he said, taking her hands again, “I have everything I need,”

She rolled her eyes fondly at him, leaning over the table to push the box back towards him.

“Trust me, you’re going to want what’s in this box,”

“You’ve already given me a child; what more could I possibly want?”

Ranvir laughed loudly.

“How about two?”

Giovanni frowned as he tried to work out what she was talking about.

“Please, just move the t-shirt,” she pleaded.

Still frowning, Gio lifted the t-shirt out of the box carefully. He couldn’t wait to wear it tomorrow and surprise Tushaan on the school run, or would that be embarrassing? He didn’t want the poor child changing his mind already. He moved the tee to one side and spotted a small plastic stick with a blue cap in the bottom of the box.

Giovanni was no stranger to pregnancy tests and pregnancy scares. He’d seen plenty in his time before Ranvir, no matter how much his ex-partners had tried to hide them from him. They had always been met with the same type of trepidation. Was he ready to be a father? Was this the person he wanted to raise a child with? Was he in the right place in his life for this? But this was different. This was not a pregnancy scare – if that test was positive. Giovanni’s brain shorted out. If that test was positive, he tried again, then it meant that he’d have another child with the woman he loved more than anything else in the world. If that test was positive it meant there would be a little piece of his DNA running around in the universe. If that test was positive-

“Gio,”

His eyes snapped up to hers. She was staring at him worriedly and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Had she mistaken his silence for dread? Or had he mistaken the test result? Unlikely, he thought, but best to check. With shaking hands he reached into the box and withdrew the piece of plastic. There, in clear black font read the word ‘pregnant’, two little lines beside it confirming what he already knew.

“Ranvi,” her name fell from his lips as he felt his chest constrict.

“How do you feel?” She asked with a wince.

How could she even ask that? Giovanni thought and then realised he hadn’t really said anything to the contrary. His brain tried to formulate words but he kept drawing a blank as his eyes glazed over. The word ‘pregnant’ seared into his mind.

“I found out about a month ago,” she said, sounding like she was underwater. He forced himself to focus, carefully placing the test on the counter, “I wanted to be sure since,” she gestured to herself, “I’m not really in the safe zone for pregnancies,”

He still didn’t know what to say, he wondered if his face looked just as blank as his mind to Ranvir as she watched him carefully. He could feel the tears beginning to formulate again.

“That test is from this morning,” she whispered.

There was a long period of silence as the weight of the situation settled on Giovanni.

“Are you,” she paused trying to gauge his reaction, “not okay with this?”

“Not okay with this?” He repeated, finally jolting to speech, “not okay with this?” He said again, his tone raising with incredulity, “Ranvi I-“

“Because if you’re not okay with this then we should talk,”

“Baby, of course I’m okay with this!” He said, remembering at the last second that a small human was upstairs asleep so he should keep his voice down. “I’m overjoyed!” He exclaimed.

“Could you maybe tell your face that?” Ranvir cried, her shoulders slumping with relief. "Jesus Christ Giovanni,"

“How could you think I wouldn’t be thrilled at this?” He asked, jumping out of his seat and moving to stand in front of her. He dropped to his knees as he took her hands in his, “I love you and you’re growing our baby? I-”

She laughed despite the tears that had suddenly appeared; her body shaking as she cried. He too felt a tidal wave of emotion – this was all he had ever wanted. A woman who loved him come what may, a son to pack lunches for and now another child to complete their little family. He almost laughed at how his life had worked out; everything had been worth it for this moment, on his knees in their kitchen, his head in her lap as he thought about the new life they were about to bring into the world.

He lifted his head to thank her or at least attempt to form the words through the joy but stopped when he realised Ranvir was still crying. He couldn’t tell if they were happy tears or not but he thought to check, just in case.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concern lacing his tone. He stood up and pulled her into his arms gently.

“Yeah,” she managed to say through her tears, “just the last time I did this,” she gestured to the test, “it didn’t go so well,”

“Hey,” he held her tighter, disgust at her ex threatening to take over. How did that man still take up space in her mind? “None of that, this is a happy memory okay? And I’m not going anywhere – just try and get rid of me,”

Giovanni felt her nod against his chest, a small bubble of laughter escaped her at his attempt at humour as her arms wrapped around his middle. He kept her close, stroking patterns onto her back and pressing a long kiss into her hair until the sobs had subsided. He pulled back a little to look at her, wiping her tears away gently.

“I love you and I can’t wait to raise this baby with you,” he said with as much sincerity as he could as he nervously placed a hand on her stomach. Ranvir giggled at his actions, placing her own hand on top of his with a smile.

“Right back at you,”

“You’re really having our baby huh?” He said, not even trying to mask the wonder in his voice. 

“Yep, are you ready to be a dad to a newborn?”

The grin that stretched over his entire face lit up the kitchen as she laughed at him. 

“I can’t believe it,” he admitted as she squeezed his side.

“Happy Birthday my darling,” 

Ranvir pressed up on her tiptoes to kiss him and Giovanni marvelled that for the next nine months he’d be doing this whilst there was a baby inside of her. He could barely kiss her back for smiling. 

“This has been the best day of my life,” 

“I’m glad,”

“Well, I’m sure there will be other days that top it,” he added as an afterthought.

“Like when this little one is born?” Ranvir asked, her hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. 

“Well, yes,” he nodded, “and tomorrow when T starts calling me Dad,” he grinned down at her, “and the day I get to call you my wife will be up there too,”

“That better not be your proposal, Pernice,”

“Please,” he scoffed, “you deserve nothing less than a private beach, candles, music, a romantic dinner-”

“Spoilers!” Ranvir laughed.

“Will you say yes?” He asked, his confidence giving way to vulnerability. 

“You’ll have to find out when you ask me,” she grinned cheekily. Giovanni laughed softly.

“I know you say yes,”

“Maybe,”

“Maybe?”

Ranvir pushed at his chest with a little laugh. The kitchen had sunk fully into darkness now, the only light coming from under the counters.

“Of course I’ll say yes,” she said softly.

“Good,” 

He could tell she wanted to tease him about something but whatever it was, she let it go in favour of stretching up and resting her whole body against his. He wrapped his arms tightly around her back, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he did. 

“Thank you,” he mumbled into her hair. 

“What for?” Ranvir asked confusedly. 

Giovanni laughed. How could he not thank her? The things she had done for him, the way she had changed him into the best version he could be, the children she had given him… it was all:

“Absolutely everything,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one... kinda ran away from me. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it - it's the longest chapter by far (but then soft Ranvanni is easy to write imo)  
> Thinking of a jealous Gio for our next chapter - anyone you'd like to see him jealous of?


	8. I Get Drunk On Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is flirting with his girl... his partner... his Ranvir and Giovanni is NOT happy about it.

“So, you ready for today?” Giovanni asked as he approached Ranvir, a mug of steaming hot coffee in his hands. She received it with a quick thanks and nodded as she wrapped her fingers around the cup.

“It’s going to be weird having other people in here,” she mused, blowing at the liquid.

Giovanni watched her lips for a second, mesmerised by the shape of them. He licked his own, swallowed and looked back up into her eyes as she smirked at him. How did she make the act of cooling down a hot drink look sexy?

“You’ll get used to it,” he shrugged, clearing his throat and picking up his own mug of coffee.

“Do you like it when other people come in?” She asked, leaning against the counter in their rehearsal room, “or is it like ‘hey this is my space’?”

Giovanni thought for a moment as took his spot next to her.

“It’s okay,” he said slowly, “I never trained in this dance so I understand why people have to come in,”

“What happens if you don’t like the choreography?” She asked over the rim of her coffee cup.

“We wait for them to go and we change it,” he grinned cheekily at her as she laughed.

A few moments later their external choreographers walked through the door bundled up in large winter coats to protect them from the cooler outside temperature.

“Hi you two!” Leandro grinned, offering them both a wave as he unzipped his coat.

“Hi,” Ranvir replied, “how are you guys?”

Giovanni smiled softly at the way she had immediately snapped into journalist mode. Ranvir had never met these two before but it would be impossible to tell from her demeanour. Leandro took both his and Maria’s coats as the girls exchanged pleasantries and Giovanni waved him over to set up the music and talk through the choreography a little more.

-

A couple of hours later they were in full Argentine Tango mode; Ranvir had most of the steps down and now they were working through the smaller details that make up the big picture. Giovanni scribbled a note as he watched Ranvir walk through the beginning of the dance.

“Yeah, watch your knee there,” Leandro said, approaching the presenter. He bent down and held her calf in his hand lightly, “it’s a straight leg,” he said softly, pulling her leg up a little.

Giovanni could feel the pencil in his hand begin to dig into his palm, the tiny eraser on the top pushing into his nails as he squeezed. He watched through narrowed eyes as Leandro’s hand trailed down her leg to her ankle, pushing her foot backwards to create the line. He gave her praise and Giovanni watched through thinly veiled fury as her eyes lit up and she grinned at him. The growl that escaped his throat was completely involuntary. His hand was still on her calf - what was it still there for? He’d already made the adjustment, now let go, Giovanni thought.

The pencil in his hand snapped in two and he dropped it in surprise.

“You okay?” Ranvir asked, the sound catching her attention and worry lacing her tone. Leandro’s hands still hadn’t moved.

“It should be a bent leg,” Gio said with a scowl.

“Sorry?” Leandro asked, sitting back on his ankles and finally letting go of Ranvir’s leg. The pressure on his chest lifted a little.

“It should be a bent leg,” he repeated, kicking the pencil to the side (he'd worry about that later) and walking over to the two of them. He dropped to his knees beside her, wrapping his fingers around Ranvir’s calf and changing the angle back.

“But,”

“I know my partner,” Giovanni interrupted, feeling a lot better now Ranvir’s hand was on his shoulder to steady herself, “she look better with a bent leg,”

He watched through narrowed eyes as Leandro appraised him.

“I like the bent leg,” Maria chimed in from the far side of the room, “it makes the lunge look closer to the floor, like she’s in too deep,”

Leandro finally relented, standing up and stepping a couple of paces back.

“Sure,” he said as Giovanni let go of his partner’s leg, his fingertips purposefully brushing her thigh as he stood.

“Can I carry on?” Ranvir asked, a hint of amusement in her tone.

-

It was late afternoon and they hadn’t stopped all day. Leandro had said they should make the most of the time they were there and insisted on running through the dance over and over again. Not that Giovanni had any problem with that, it meant he spent most of his day pressed against Ranvir, his hands in all the best places. He could tell, however, that his partner was losing energy and would need a lunch break any minute now.

“I think that first section needs to be slower,” Maria said as Ranvir leaned back against him, clearly tired. “Giovanni, you should take your time moving up her leg and then getting into frame,”

He rested his hand low on her waist and squeezed gently, her head falling back on his shoulder.

“We’ll have to cut other choreography,” Leandro said from beside her.

“It’ll be worth it,”

“You want us to try?” Ranvir asked standing up straight. Her determination never failed to astound him.

“Sure, go ahead,” Maria nodded encouragingly.

“Okay but after this, she needs to eat,” Giovanni agreed, “she’ll pass out,”

Ranvir threw him a grateful look, a soft smile pulling at her lips. He returned it and then nodded to the chair nearby to begin the routine.

The music began and Giovanni completed his spins, walking to Ranvir and passing her as she ignored him. He watched her rise from the chair and take a few confident steps, her foot purposefully landing on the floor as he dropped to one knee. Slowly, oh so painfully slowly, Giovanni ran his hand up her leg right to the top of her thigh, his eyes angled south of her stomach. Her fingers tucked under his chin and pushed lightly, forcing him to stand. The room was silent except for the music and all he could see was her. Ranvir’s dark brown eyes stared into his own and electricity crackled between them. He almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Almost. She pushed him away with the fingers still under his chin and walked a few steps. Giovanni reached for her wrist, tugging her a little too hard to be considered dancing until she came back to him. The counts were off, he knew, but his mind was elsewhere. Twenty three years of learning counts vanished as the woman before him leaned into the A-frame, their foreheads almost touching, her hand reaching the correct position before his. Gently he took her shaking hand and then the spell was broken. The music cut out and Ranvir hurriedly pushed back, all the colour drained from her face.

He asked if she was okay with his eyes as Maria padded back over to the speaker. She nodded but he wasn’t buying it.

“It’s good,” Leandro was saying, a finger to his chin, “but we need to sort out that timing with the music, Ranvir, come here a second,”

Ranvir dutifully went to Leandro’s side, her eyes never leaving Giovanni’s. He knew she’d felt it too but getting her to admit it to him was another thing altogether.

“Can you do the bit where you stop and Gio drops to the floor?”

He let her get into position and then dropped himself to the ground. He was singing the lyrics, trying to time the movement with the words when his hand shot out and carefully trailed up her leg. Giovanni felt like he couldn’t breathe. He watched, his heart in his throat as Ranvir brought his head up with her fingertips and then pushed him away.

Was this what it looked like to an outsider? He wondered as Ranvir stepped away from Leandro. He reached for her wrist, still singing the counts and pulled her to him, their hands meeting at exactly the same time. He couldn’t watch but he also couldn’t look away. She was pure magic and begrudgingly Giovanni admitted that Leandro was good too. But his hand was still in hers, his eyes looking directly at her lips and the top halves of their bodies pressed together tightly. It was more than he could take. She was his partner, she was his and only his.

“So that beginning bit is a little bit faster which will accommodate the slow getting into hold,” Maria said from somewhere close by and he almost jumped in surprise.

“Great,” he mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, hoping Maria didn’t have the ability to read minds.

“So you and Ranvir huh?”

“What?” Giovanni looked down at her in surprise. Maybe she actually _was_ psychic.

“You guys are very cute together,”

“Oh, we’re not-”

“No, not yet,” Maria nodded knowingly, “but you will be,”

Ranvir stepped out of Leandro’s arms, catching Giovanni’s attention. She looked straight at him and everything else flew from his mind.

“Ah shit,” he said, he’d know that look anywhere, “okay, come on,”

Giovanni was in her space quicker than she could blink, his arm around her waist as he gently led her to the sofa in the corner of the room.

Sometimes Ranvir pushed herself too hard, her morning Berocca only getting her so far. It had happened twice in Cha Cha Cha week, her skin going clammy and the colour draining from her face before she crumpled in his arms. It was like she had no energy left, no calories left to burn and he had vowed after that week to never let it happen again.

“We have to take lunch now,” he said to no-one in particular as he set her down on the sofa.

He jogged to the corner of the room grabbing Ranvir’s water bottle and a banana before jogging back to her side and smiling softly at her.

“You okay?” He asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead and pushing her hair back out of her face as she took a long sip of her drink.

“Yeah, you know how it is,” her breathing was slightly shallow but he was confident she wasn’t going to pass out.

“Okay, I’ll go and do a food run, make sure you eat that banana,” she nodded as Maria took a seat next to her.

“I can keep an eye on her,” she smiled placing a comforting hand on Ranvir’s arm.

“Don’t be too long,”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised her, pressing another kiss to the top of her head and wondering if that was territorial enough to keep Leandro away from her.

-

Giovanni grinned as he approached the training room, four takeaway boxes in his hands. He could hear Ranvir laughing inside, the sound of it never failing to put a smile on his face and it meant she must be feeling better. He opened the door with his hip to find Ranvir and Leandro sat together on the sofa laughing.

The smile slid from his face as Maria appeared before him, chatting away about some other little notes they’d made in the time he’d been outside of the room. He’d only been gone a maximum of twenty minutes and when he’d left, Ranvir had been chatting about her son with Maria – what had happened in those twenty minutes? Giovanni nodded along, not really taking any notice as he began walking over to the sofa - his and Ranvir’s sofa, that they sat on together all the time, the two person sofa, three if you all jammed in together, _their_ sofa. He bit back his frustration as he handed her her lunch. She smiled up at him gratefully and then scooted over to make room for him beside her. Well at least she hadn’t forgotten about him entirely, he mused, sitting as close to her as possible.

She shot him a confused look as Leandro continued talking, patting the arm of the sofa for Maria to perch on.

“This is a very cosy lunch,” Ranvir laughed when it was quiet, stabbing a piece of salad with her fork.

“Very cosy,” Giovanni agreed, not being able to help the slight dig.

“It’s usually just the two of us,” she said apologetically, “the only other place to eat is the floor,”

“We don’t mind,” Leandro smiled.

“Course _you_ don’t,” Giovanni mumbled, Ranvir elbowed him in the side staring pointedly at him.

“It’s only a couple of days anyway,” Maria agreed.

“Good,” Gio said certain Ranvir hadn’t heard him.

“Hey, can I borrow you outside for a minute?” Ranvir asked through gritted teeth. Or maybe she had heard him.

Giovanni sighed but stood up, placing his salad on the floor and gesturing for her to lead the way as he fell into step behind her. She waited until they were in the corridor and then whirled around, her finger jabbing into his chest as he pressed against the wall in surprise.

“What is your problem today?” She asked angrily, “All you’ve done is be horrible and rude and downright,” she floundered for the word, “possessive when these two lovely people who’ve come to help us have been nothing but,” she stopped herself, eyes wide with surprise as she took a step back from him, “oh,” she said softly.

It wasn’t hard to figure it out, Giovanni supposed, especially for someone of Ranvir’s intelligence. He actually couldn’t believe it had taken her as long as it had, after all, he had growled, snapped a pencil, been extra tactile in Leandro’s company and made a few jibes at him too. He was just glad she hadn’t heard his internal monologue. There was jealous and then there was _jealous_. He stared at the ground, refusing to look at her.

“You can’t be serious,” she said softly. “Giovanni,” she said again when he didn’t respond, stepping into his space, “tell me you’re not…” she trailed off and then stepped back as if second guessing herself.

“Not what?” He asked her, finally meeting her eyes determinedly.

“You can’t be,” Ranvir said shaking her head and staring resolutely at the ground, “I mean,”

“I can’t be what?” Ranvir’s eyes snapped up to his and he swallowed hard, "Jealous?" He asked quietly.

“Yeah,” she mumbled.

“Why not?”

“Well,” she began, fidgeting with her t-shirt, “we don’t have that kind of relationship do we?”

“Don’t we?”

“No,”

“And why not?” He probed.

“Stop asking me questions I can’t answer!” She cried, “you’re just as much a participant in this as me,”

“I thought we did have that kind of relationship,” he shrugged in an attempt at nonchalance.

“Since when?” She asked incredulously.

“We always flirt!” He retorted, surprised that she would ask such a question.

“Yeah but it never amounts to anything,” she shook her head, “that’s just our dynamic,”

“No,” Giovanni replied, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. “You have to know I think you’re beautiful,”

Ranvir flushed and leaned back against the opposite wall. She opened her mouth to reply but he got there first.

“And no, I’m not ‘just saying that’,” he said, lifting his hands to put finger quotes around what he knew she’d be thinking, “so yes, I am jealous of Leandro,”

“Well you shouldn’t be,”

“Too late,” he shrugged, “I won’t apologise for being attracted to you,”

For once in his life, Giovanni was glad he could never pander. He was always straight to the point and honest even when it was not necessarily the greatest idea. He had no qualms about telling her how he felt and whilst he hoped it didn’t make anything awkward for them if she didn’t feel the same way it also left him wondering if anything more would transpire thanks to his confession.

Ranvir was gripping the bottom of her t-shirt hard, her fingers bruising imprints in the fabric. He had no idea what she was thinking right now but she looked worried.

“Why?” She asked softly.

“Why am I attracted to you? Uh your honesty, your wit, your determination, your laugh, your intelligence, your bravery,” he listed until Ranvir cut him off with a laugh, her cheeks a bright pink.

“No, why are you jealous of Leandro? I’m not attracted to him,” she shook her head, her hair falling around her shoulders.

“You’re not?” Giovanni asked, surprised. From the way she had been flirting with him he had thought- or _had_ she been flirting with him? His mind raced back over the past few hours, seeing only red as he flicked through their day with the choreographers.

“There’s only one Italian I’m attracted to,” she said, voice no more than a whisper.

“I think he’s actually Argentinan,” Giovanni replied, momentarily distracted.

Ranvir laughed, the tension in the corridor suddenly dissipated as she grinned at him.

“Makes sense,” she shrugged, “do you think we should talk about this?” She gestured between them and Giovanni shook his head sadly.

“Not here,” he said, “not whilst we’re training,”

“Professionalism,” she agreed with a nod, “that does mean you have to rein in the jealousy this week though,”

“I make no promises,” he grinned, “you ready to go back in?”

“let’s go show them how it’s done,” Ranvir replied, a teasing smile on her face.

He offered her his hand and she slid her palm into his as if it were second nature. Giovanni squeezed her fingers and walked them back to the rehearsal room. They just had to get this week and Saturday out of the way and then they could talk. That’s provided he didn’t snap before then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist another AT oneshot on the anniversary of the dance! I think this series is coming to a close - I have a Dianne oneshot coming but if you want to see any others, please let me know.


	9. When We're On The Phone And You Talk Real Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dianne's phone is dead, who'd have guessed? Luckily Giovanni is on hand to help.

Dianne sighed as her phone turned itself off, the screen turning black as she placed it beside her on the sofa. It had been running on 8% since arriving at Elstree and since Vicky wasn’t done with her outfit for this evening and Joe was recording the podcast a few rooms over, she had nothing better to do than scroll through her social media. And then her phone had died. Nothing unusual there, she thought.

She paused for a moment before deciding to see if she could grab a charger from one of the other pro’s; the only trouble being that the only ones in the building were probably in dress rehearsal now and it was way too early for any of the other professionals to be in. She’d only come in early herself so she could take the same car as Joe since he had to record for the podcast.

Deciding it was worth a check anyway, Dianne ventured out of the green room, down the hallway and into the main corridor where all the dressing rooms were. She walked past a few familiar names and stopped when she heard nearby voices. It sounded like it was coming from Ranvir’s dressing room so she knocked on the door loudly, hopeful one of them would have a charger she could borrow.

The room went silent and then a couple of moments later Giovanni opened the door still in his workout gear. He looked a little flushed and breathless as he stared back at her in confusion.

“Oh, you guys not rehearsing?” Dianne asked, taking a few steps backwards to ensure they were keeping the recommended distance.

“My dress isn’t done,” Ranvir piped up from somewhere in the room, Gio swung the door open further to reveal her sitting cross legged on the sofa, pulling at her t-shirt. “Is everything okay?” She asked, running a hand through her dishevelled hair before getting up and joining Giovanni at the door. She ducked under the arm that was holding it open and immediately relaxed into his side.

“Yeah I was just looking to borrow a charger,” Dianne smiled as Gio rolled his eyes, “my phone died,”

“Your phone is always dead,” Giovanni grinned at her. 

“I know,” she laughed, “Joe’s got my charger,”

“You share a charger?”

“Well I forgot to bring mine,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Ah, so it’s actually Joe’s charger,” Ranvir grinned knowingly.

Giovanni’s arm slid from the door to wrap around her shoulders, his foot keeping the wood from hitting her back. Dianne tilted her head a little at the almost instinctual move but decided not to tease, especially since she needed a favour.

“Yeah but he doesn’t need it,” she thought for a second, “actually Gio if you have Joe’s number I’ll just call him and ask where he left it, then you can keep hold of your charger,”

“Oh, yeah sure,” the Italian disappeared and then reappeared a moment later with his phone, “we’re running late to rehearse actually so when you’re done can you bring it to the back room?”

“The really cold one?” Dianne asked as Giovanni nodded, “yeah no problem,”

“It’s cold in there?” Ranvir asked eyes wide, “I’ll grab a hoodie,”

Giovanni laughed as she grabbed the closest one from the back of the sofa.

“I’m sure you guys won’t be cold if you’re rehearsing,” Dianne said, “the Argentine tango is supposed to be the opposite of cold,”

Ranvir flushed as Giovanni ushered her from the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

“We’ll be fine,” he agreed.

“Thanks for the phone, I’ll bring it back up to you in a second,”

“No problem,”

They both offered her a wave before disappearing down the corridor towards one of the rehearsal rooms, Giovanni’s arm already back around her shoulders.

They were an interesting partnership, Dianne mused as she watched them go. On paper they absolutely shouldn’t work; Ranvir was very open and honest, laid back, intelligent, quick witted, and fun where-as Giovanni was all about the performance, he was confident, brash, a hard worker and had so many walls up it was hard to know when you were talking to the real Giovanni or the stage one.

But something had clicked with these two – their naturally flirty natures had helped them hit it off straight away and then something had changed; they’d all witnessed it happen. Giovanni had taken on the role of care taker with her, working through her confidence issues and always, _always,_ having her back no matter what. It must’ve been nice for Ranvir to be looked after rather than the other way around. The shift in dynamic had led to a very interesting relationship and not for the first time Dianne wondered if this new Giovanni would be for the keeping. Ranvir seemed to bring out the best side of him and vice versa, it had been great to watch.

Snapping back to the present, Dianne unlocked Giovanni’s phone (Freddie’s birthday was just too easy to guess) and headed to the call app. He hadn’t bothered to organise any of his apps so it was like looking at a sea of colour. Finally she spotted the green square and pressed it realising at the last second she’d selected FaceTime instead.

“What the…”

On the screen, Ranvir’s name took up the entire page. Dianne frowned, seeing FaceTime after FaceTime, all to his partner. Allowing her eyes to scan the page she checked out the call lengths; some were short sessions, only lasting a couple of minutes but there was a call that happened every single week day (except Saturday she noticed) at 10pm that lasted for five hours. Why on earth were they calling each other until the early hours of the morning? She shook her head and deciding it was none of her business, Dianne scrolled Gio’s contacts for her boyfriend. She hit the call button and seconds later Joe’s face appeared on the screen.

“Oh,” he said, sounding surprised, “hi Dot,”

“Joseph,”

“Why are you- did your phone die again?” He asked exasperated.

She had the decency to look sheepish as she held up her dead iPhone. Joe rolled his eyes, the smile on his face betraying his fondness for her as she grinned back at him.

“I’ll have to leave the charger outside the room,” he said, already standing up, “we’re recording in a couple of minutes,”

“Okay, thank you,”

“Is Gio there?” Joe asked as Dianne began the walk to the podcast room.

“No, he lent me his phone to call you and then they had to go run their dance,” she watched as he placed the charger outside the door on his screen and then stepped back in the room, “I’m going to return it in a sec,”

“Ah, okay,” he nodded, “I gotta go, we’re about to start. Text me when your phone is back up and running,”

“Will do,” she smiled at him, “have a good recording session,”

“Thanks Dot,”

She blew him a kiss through the screen which he returned and then hung up, locking the phone and sliding it into her back pocket. A few moments later the charger was back in her hand and she was making her way to the rehearsal room to return Gio’s phone.

As she walked the image of those FaceTime calls called to her – she knew they were close but phone calls in the dead of night that lasted for hours on end? There was something strange about that, for sure.

Dianne paused outside the rehearsal room, her hand on the door as she looked through the glass. Ranvir and Giovanni were rehearsing their Argentine tango, Prince’s vocals ringing around the room as they danced. Ranvir had chosen to wear the hoodie it seemed but it looked remarkably oversized on her, as though she were drowning it in. Dianne cocked her head to the side wondering if it was actually Giovanni’s hoodie she was wearing. She watched as they danced together, their A-frame so tight it was like they were one person. She couldn’t help it, she was totally sucked in by the story and it felt like she was holding her breath as they created magic together. They finished the dance, their ending pose looking incredibly close before Giovanni pulled her up, bundling her in a hug.

Dianne shook herself from her stupor and knocked on the door loudly. She waved as they both turned their heads to look over at the sound. Giovanni ushered her in with a wave of his hand, stepping back from Ranvir and then reaching for her sleeves. Dianne watched with mild amusement as he rolled them up so her hands were visible.

“You’ll be able to dance much better if you can use your hands,” she heard him say with a smile as she approached.

“Looks great guys,” Dianne grinned giving them a big thumbs up.

“Thanks, I’m still a little nervous,” Ranvir admitted, waiting for Giovanni to let go of her sleeves before pushing her hair back from her face.

“You shouldn’t be,” she replied shaking her head, “you know your steps you just gotta go out there and perform it,”

“See,” Giovanni chimed in, nudging her waist with the back of his hand, “nothing to worry about, I told you,”

Ranvir rolled her eyes.

“Always has to be right this one,”

Dianne laughed, reaching into her back pocket for Giovanni’s phone. She handed it over with a smile.

“Don’t I know it,” she grinned, “thanks for the phone Gio, I’ve got my charger,”

“Anytime, you watching tonight?” He asked.

“Yeah, speaking of,” she paused, her eyes lighting up as she remembered, “I need to go see Vicky about my dress, I’ll catch you guys on the live show,”

“Have fun!” Ranvir laughed as she turned to leave the room.

“Good luck tonight guys!” She called over her shoulder, “you’ll be amazing I know!”

-

Saturday night passed in a whirl of colour and sound and before Dianne knew it, it was Sunday morning and she was in the kitchen cooking pancakes for breakfast. She turned the heat off, plating the last few before drizzling maple syrup over the stack. Dianne grabbed a fork, sitting down at the breakfast bar just as her phone buzzed.

“Can you talk?” She read aloud. With a shrug, Dianne tapped the FaceTime icon on her phone, dragging an unopened bottle of wine over to prop it against.

“Hi,” Gio greeted as his face appeared on the screen.

It wasn’t exactly an everyday occurrence for Giovanni to FaceTime her, they were friends but in the loosest sense of the word. She knew she could always ask him for help and she loved dancing with him on the show but they didn’t choose to hang out outside of Strictly.

“Hiya, everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Giovanni nodded, he lifted his baseball cap, pushing his hair back before replacing it and it took Dianne a second to realise he was nervous.

“You sure?” She asked, cutting into her pancake stack.

“Did you FaceTime Joe yesterday?” He asked, biting his lip.

“From your phone?” Gio nodded, “yes,” she said, trying to hide her coy smile behind a bite of breakfast, “why?”

“I thought you said you were going to call him?”

“I was, but your homescreen was so unorganised I didn’t realise I’d pressed the FaceTime button until I got in and then I thought I may as well call him from there,”

“Ah,” he said.

Dianne watched as he sunk onto his sofa, setting his phone up on the coffee table so both hands were free.

“Do you want to ask me anything Giovanni?” She asked, a small smirk on her face.

“So you did see,” he affirmed, fidgeting with his ring.

“Yup,” Dianne replied, purposefully popping the ‘p’.

“You haven’t told anyone else?”

Dianne frowned, slightly confused. Why would she have told anyone else about their weird FaceTime habits? It didn’t affect them and in all honesty it probably didn’t mean anything to anyone else.

But Dianne had been through this before. Coming home to Joe last night had reminded her of all the late night FaceTime sessions they would have when they were in the talking stage. How they couldn’t get enough time in the day to talk despite spending all their hours together so they would talk into the night about anything and everything until one or both of them fell asleep, phone clutched in their hands. She remembered it fondly, if a little tiredly, grateful for those few extra hours where they could just be themselves. The early hour making them both a little less guarded and a little more silly. She felt bad for Ranvir and Giovanni – once she and Joe had established what they wanted they had been able to spend the nights together but with the virus and the strict rules in place they wouldn’t be able to do that until they were out of the show. No wonder there had been so many calls.

“Not my place,” she said, shaking her head, “besides, I shouldn’t have opened your FaceTime,”

“It’s okay,” he sighed, clearly relieved she hadn’t said anything.

“I’m glad you guys are getting on so well,” the sentiment was genuine and she hoped he could hear that she wasn’t taking the piss out of him. Giovanni nodded back at her.

“If we didn’t have to dance all day, we’d talk all day,” he said, looking for all the world like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. Dianne smiled at him softly over the rim of her coffee cup. She watched as his eyes flickered to the floor, “we can just talk and talk about everything and anything and I never get tired of it,”

“That’s sweet,”

“Yeah. She’s pretty great,” he grinned, his eyes finally meeting hers.

“I’m really happy for you,”

“Thank you, it’s nice to feel this way again,”

“If you need any advice, don’t forget I’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt,” she grinned cheekily at him through the screen as he laughed.

“We should start a club,” he replied, “the ‘Fell In Love During Strictly’ club,”

“There’d be too many members, we wouldn’t have a room big enough,” she laughed just as Joe appeared in the doorway.

“Morning Joe,” Giovanni waved over her shoulder as Joe came up behind her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Hi Gio,” Joe looked confused and still half asleep, “why-“

“Have a good rest of day pal, you know where you can find me if you need me!” Dianne interrupted, waving at her fellow pro before hanging up and turning to her partner.

“He wanted my pancake recipe,” she grinned. Joe narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing her for a second.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Did you congratulate him on his Argentine tango last night?”

“Good wasn’t it?”

“So good, I thought Shirley was about to combust,”

Dianne grinned at him as she finished the last bite of her pancakes.

“I was at a funny angle, did he kiss her at the end or not?” Joe asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Dianne coughed.

“Not that I could see,”

“Maybe he should’ve,” he mused out loud, “they’d be a great couple,”

“Really?” Dianne asked, “You think?”

“Don’t they remind you of us a bit?” Joe replied, looking over his shoulder at her. Dianne quickly lifted her mug to hide her grin.

“In what way?” She asked, fully intrigued now.

“Well,” Joe began, leaning on the counter opposite her, “he’s mellowed out a bit this series y’know? They clearly make each other laugh and whenever they’re not dancing on the show, they’re talking, I don’t know – they just really remind me of us,”

“True,” she nodded.

“I hope for his sake he finds the right person, he’s such a lovely guy,”

“Oh I think he already has,” Dianne said under her breath with a huge grin, “I think he already has,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took me forever. I initially had another idea for this that I might use somewhere else but it just was not happening with Dianne. I'm so sorry!! Hopefully you enjoy this, especially any Joannies out there :)


	10. Why Can't You See? You Belong With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were just trying to move the blackboard.

Ranvir stared at her feet as Giovanni moulded himself to her back, his hand on her hip encouraging her to rotate them with his. He counted them in, humming the music under his breath as he nudged her arm up around the back of his neck.

“That’s good, keep going,” he said, his lips very close to her ear.

She couldn’t help the shiver that raced down her spine at the sound. The hand on her hip pushed into her skin forcing her to make wider circles.

“Good, more,” he said, rolling his hips with hers.

His fingers were almost bruising in their force as she threaded her own through his hair. He released the pressure, sliding his hand up her arm to join her at the back of his neck.

“Good,” he said, stepping back and clearing his throat nervously, “now you just have to look like you’re enjoying it,” he added cheekily as she rolled her eyes.

“Kinda hard to do when I think about doing this in front of millions of people,” Ranvir replied, her face flushing at the thought. Their latest move wasn’t exactly family friendly.

Giovanni nodded thoughtfully as he turned away from her to grab their water bottles. He handed hers over and twisted the cap off of his.

“You just gotta forget about them,” he said in between sips, “this is for us,”

“For you maybe,” Ranvir replied, raising an eyebrow, “I do not like this dance _at all_ ,” she took a long drink as Giovanni watched her.

“What? You don’t like getting so close to me?” He asked, hand on his chest as if she had wounded him, “that happens to be my favourite part,”

“Of course it is,” she rolled her eyes, handing him her water bottle back with a smile.

“What’s not to like?” He asked a flirtatious grin on his features.

“Come off it Giovanni,” she said confidently, watching as he returned the water bottles to the counter in the room, “you cannot possible enjoy having to flirt with me on national telly,”

The Italian turned back to face her, confusion clearly in his eyes. He approached her slowly, his head cocked to the side as he appraised her.

“What you mean?” He asked quietly.

“I mean,” she stressed, “that’s just your personality, isn’t it? Part of who you are as a performer is your cheeky, flirty side and it must suck having to do that with someone you aren’t actually attracted to,”

“Why wouldn’t I be attracted to you?” He asked looking genuinely confused, “I love flirting with you actually,”

“But that’s all fun and games though, isn’t it?” She said as he took another step toward her, “it doesn’t mean anything,” she was beginning to feel less confident that that was true with the way he was looking at her.

“Maybe it doesn’t mean anything to you,”

“Giovanni you flirt with anything that moves,”

“Charming!” He said sarcastically.

“It’s not a bad thing!” She laughed nervously as he entered her personal space, “I just know not to take it seriously,”

“But what if I want you to take it seriously?”

Giovanni was stood so close to her she could hear him breathing, her nerves felt fried as she tilted her head up to look at him, instinctively taking a step backward, her heart racing in her chest.

“Why would you want me to take it seriously? That’s completely crazy,” Ranvir laughed shakily.

“Why is it completely crazy that I’d be attracted to you?”

The concern in his voice caused her to meet his eyes. Gone was the flirtatious tone replaced entirely by worry and confusion as he stared back at her.

“You know it is,” she whispered, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

“No it’s not,” he retaliated quickly. Giovanni stepped into her space once again, his hands going to her upper arms as he watched her carefully. “Do you really believe that?”

“Of course I do!” Ranvir exclaimed stepping backward and bumping into the wall, “What on earth would possess you, of all people, to find me attractive enough to flirt with seriously? It made sense when I knew it was just a bit of fun but saying you’re serious is genuine insanity,”

“So I’m insane now?” He asked, a slight laugh following his question.

“Yes!” She cried, “You can’t possibly want this,” Ranvir gestured to herself vigorously.

“And why not?”

“Because no-one else does!”

The silence that echoed around the room was deafening. Tears of frustration and sadness filled her eyes before she could stop them, her chest still heaving as Giovanni stared back at her. She couldn’t bear to see the pity in his eyes so she closed her own and turned her back on him as she brushed the wetness from her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push,” he said quietly.

“I need a few minutes,” she mumbled and without daring to look at him she left the room.

-

Ranvir returned from the bathroom almost twenty minutes later to find Giovanni sitting cross legged in the middle of the floor, fidgeting nervously.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she approached him.

“Ranvi-“

“No, hang on,” Ranvir held up a hand to silence him as she came to a stop, “I didn’t mean to shout at you, you just,” she sighed, “you brought up a lot of old feelings that I didn’t know how to confront and I took it out on you so I am sorry,”

She finally looked at him and he patted the space on the floor in front of him.

“Sit,” he said softly. Ranvir joined him on the floor, mirroring his position as he reached for her hands.

“I’m the one who should be sorry,” he apologised, “I kept pushing you because I didn’t understand that you felt that way,”

“Thank you,” she whispered, her breathing shallow as he intertwined their fingers.

“If you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine but I would really like to say one thing,”

Ranvir met his eyes and tilted her head in confusion. He was watching her closely, waiting for a signal of approval to speak. She nodded with a small smile as he shuffled in closer so their knees were touching.

“There is absolutely no reason why I wouldn’t fancy you, none,” he said emphatically, “I happen to think you’re one of the smartest, funniest, kind and warm people on the planet who just so happens to also be stunningly beautiful. You don’t have to believe me but I think you should,”

Ranvir let out a watery chuckle as he brought both of her hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

“That’s very kind of you Giovanni,” she started.

“Not kind,” he shook his head, waiting until she was looking at him to say, “just the truth,”

She rolled her eyes as he smiled at her. There was a moment of silence before he stood up, pulling her with him.

“And the second you start to realise that I’m dead serious about being attracted to you, I’m taking you on a date,” he paused, “if that’s okay with you of course?”

Ranvir barked out a laugh, letting their hands drop as she moved away from him to their starting positions.

“I won’t stop you,” she said, “but I won’t hold you to it either,”

Giovanni rolled his eyes at her.

“Then I’ll just have to prove it to you,”

-

Luba and Johannes wheeled the heavy chalkboard into Ranvir and Giovanni’s training room, pushing it into the back corner slowly and carefully.

“I’m still not sure how we got roped into this,” Johannes grumbled as he guided Luba to a stop.

“At least it’s something to do,” she replied, “I’m so bored these days, I hang out at Elstree for the socialisation,”

Johannes made an ‘aw’ sound as he looked over at his friend sympathetically. He had thoroughly enjoyed his time teaching Caroline so far and he knew Jason and Luba had become fast friends from their time together too. It must be hard to go back into a singular bubble after spending so much time with one person.

“What is it you don’t get?” The sound of Giovanni’s shout echoing down the corridor caused them both to pause. The door flew open and from behind the chalkboard Johannes and Luba watched Ranvir storm in, her face like thunder as Giovanni followed behind.

“Trouble in paradise?” Luba whispered perfectly arching an eyebrow.

“Giovanni, please,” Ranvir replied her shoulders squared as she whirled around to face him, “just let sleeping dogs lie,”

“What?” He looked genuinely confused and Johannes let out a small snigger as he watched through the gap.

“It means just let it drop,” she sighed.

“No!” Giovanni placed his hands on his hips defiantly, “You said you wouldn’t stop me,”

“I also said I wouldn’t hold you to it,”

“But I want you to hold me to it!”

“You’re confused,” Ranvir deflated, “this dance it makes you feel things that aren’t really there,”

“That’s not true and you know it,”

Giovanni’s voice was raising again and Johannes and Luba watched in stunned silence as he took a step toward her, now almost entirely in her space.

“I told you almost two weeks ago that I liked you and wanted to take you on a date and you said you wouldn’t stop me,” he continued.

“That was before this dance!” Ranvir exclaimed, her hands instinctively reaching for him before she thought better, “before we had to be practically glued together,”

“Nothing’s changed!” He shook his head at her, eyes wide. “Sure it’s another close dance but-”

“Exactly! It’s another close dance where you can’t help but feel things because you spend all day every day in each other’s space practically making out!”

“How long do you think this is going to go on for?” Johannes whispered to Luba who shrugged and returned eagerly back to the drama at hand.

“So you admit you feel things too,”

“Giovanni,” she sighed, her shoulders dropping.

“I just want to prove to you that I want you,” he said, his voice dropping to an almost whisper. Both dancers subconsciously leaned closer to the blackboard. “Why is that so difficult to do?”

“Because,” she said.

“That’s your argument?” He asked, “Because?”

“Yes, so if we could please just let it drop,” Ranvir sounded tired but Giovanni still looked determined. Johannes wondered briefly if he even knew what the word ‘quit’ meant.

“That’s not good enough,” he shook his head, “just let me show you,”

“Show me what?” Ranvir asked.

“She’s gonna regret asking that,” Luba whispered.

Seconds later Giovanni had Ranvir pushed against the nearest wall as he kissed her deeply. His hands went straight for her jaw, cupping her face and tilting her head up for a better angle. She responded in kind, her fingers threading through his hair as her body moulded to his easily.

From his position behind the blackboard Johannes winced as Ranvir’s back ground against the bare brick of the wall. He heard her gasp, Giovanni clearly taking that as an invitation to continue kissing her, his thumb pressing gently against her throat as his other hand formed a barrier between her and the brick. Ranvir’s hands ran down his chest slowly, pausing at his stomach. She pushed lightly and he stepped back immediately, running a hand through his dishevelled hair.

“Giovanni,” she said, her breathing heavy.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking at the floor.

The room was silent except for their laboured breathing and Johannes and Luba shared a look.

“Awkward,” Johannes mouthed as the blonde nodded back at him.

“Sunday,” Ranvir said, clearing her throat nervously.

“Wha-”

“You can pick me up at 6, okay?” She looked up at him, as she fidgeted with the hem of her t-shirt.

Giovanni looked shell-shocked as he nodded emphatically at her.

“I have to use the bathroom, excuse me,”

Without another word Ranvir left the room; the second the door closed fully behind her Giovanni punched the air with a loud laugh before clapping his hands and doing a few salsa steps for the fun of it. He looked like he was on cloud 9 as he created a silly routine to match his good mood. Johannes sniggered to himself when this went on for way longer than it should’ve and looked over at Luba who had decided now was the perfect time to make their exit. With Giovanni’s attention solely on himself it was a pretty clear break for the door. That was until Luba tripped over the chalkboard wheel with a yelp causing him to spot the two of them.

Giovanni let out a small cry of surprise.

“Hiya,” Luba waved sheepishly.

All three of them stared at each other in an awkward silence, obviously thinking about what had transpired over the past few minutes.

“We didn’t see _anything_ ,” Johannes suddenly said, clearly lying.

“She is actually going to kill me,” Giovanni groaned.

“It’s okay! We’re leaving now and like I said, we didn’t see anything!”

Ranvir suddenly appeared in the doorway, her arms folded over her chest and looking suitably less ruffled than before.

“You were saying?” She asked, eyebrow raised as she looked between the three of them.

“Ah shit,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you I hadn't abandoned this one!! This kinda started out as a very angsty oneshot that was supposed to deal with Ranvir's lack of self confidence and then I couldn't stand how sad it was becoming so I thought this was the perfect time for Johannes and Luba to make an appearance! Hope you enjoyed :)


	11. Everyone Thinks That They Know Us (But They Know Nothing)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maisie notices something a little bit weird about her friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly I want to preface this with whilst I love both Ranvir and Giovanni and absolutely ship them together, I completely respect that Giovanni has now stated that he is single and he is not dating Ranvir. I have no intentions of stopping writing about these two and maintain hope that it's a case of 'right person, wrong time'. I love them both as people and wish nothing but the best in their future endeavours.  
> That being said!! Please enjoy Maisie's turn figuring out their little secret. (Annie this is for you, you're great) ((And Palmofmyfreezinghand this is for you too, thank you for your fic, it is a work of art and I LOVE it)

Ranvir slid her mic pack from her t-shirt, placing it in a carrier bag and leaving it by the door for the camera crew to grab on their way out. She turned to watch as Giovanni shifted in front of the lens, occasionally nodding as he absorbed his instructions from the cameraman.

“Sorry to interrupt,”

Ranvir looked toward the sound, letting out a giggle at the sight of Maisie’s floating head in the doorway.

“Are you done Ranvir? Vicky needs you in wardrobe,”

“Me?” She asked surprised.

Maisie nodded and Ranvir turned back to face the camera crew.

“That’s fine,” one of them said, checking his watch, “we’ll grab this bit with Gio and then come back after lunch for some pick up shots?”

Giovanni nodded and shot her a smile.

“Don’t be late,” he teased, “we still have to practise that lift,”

“Wouldn’t want to miss that now would I?” She teased straight back, her tongue poking between her teeth as she grinned at him.

He offered her a gentle eye roll as she began to walk backward toward the door, maintaining eye contact as she went.

“I’ll be back soon boss,”

“Make sure of it!” He called as she turned around to reach for the door handle.

“Such a taskmaster,” she said playfully to Maisie who was still waiting in the doorway for her.

“Don’t pretend you don’t love it,” the younger girl laughed, stepping back to make sure there was enough distance between them.

Ranvir made a noise of affirmation as she pulled the door shut behind her, catching Giovanni’s eyes through the glass. He winked at her and she flushed, fidgeting with the neckline of her pink t-shirt.

“So what did Vicky want me for anyway?” Ranvir asked Maisie as they walked on opposite sides of the corridor. She shook her head at herself trying to clear her mind of any thoughts of the Italian she had left behind.

“A few last minute alterations,”

“And she sent you?”

“Well, I may have had an interior motive,”

“Ulterior,” Ranvir corrected absently as they rounded a corner.

“One of those too,”

“Well spill,” Ranvir laughed when Maisie said nothing.

“We haven’t had our girl’s lunch this week so I wanted to see if you had time today?” She was twisting a large chunk of hair around her fingers and biting her bottom lip causing Ranvir to wonder if lunch actually wasn’t the ulterior motive. “Clara said something about her Mum being in for lunch so it would just be us two,”

Ranvir shot a look at the younger girl as they paused outside of the wardrobe department. On the outside Maisie was a confident, bubbly, talented performer who had time for absolutely everybody. She was kind and a little bit loud with a need for everyone to like her. In a variety of ways she oddly reminded Ranvir of Giovanni - well, except for the bit about wanting to be liked. Giovanni couldn’t care less what people thought, unless you meant something to him and then your opinion was the most important thing in the world.

Maisie tilted her head at Ranvir’s silence and she flushed at having been caught thinking about her partner again.

“Sorry, I was worlds away,”

Maisie shot her a pointed look.

“We all know where your head's been lately,” she teased, shifting her weight to rest on the wall behind her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ranvir asked curiously. Maisie barked out a laugh as she raised an eyebrow.

“You know exactly what that means!” She grinned as Ranvir flushed, “But you’re avoiding the question, are you coming to lunch or not?”

“Only if you promise to not make any comments about Giovanni,” she replied, only half serious. Asking Maisie not to be inquisitive was like asking an ice cube to stop melting; you could ask nicely but the ice cube was still going to become water.

“What else are we gonna talk about?” Maisie threw her hands up in the air emphatically as Ranvir laughed.

“How about you and HRVY?” She teased.

“Alright, fine!” Maisie sighed finally relenting, “no comments about Gio,”

“Thank you,”

“You’re no fun anymore,” she teased.

“Charming!” Ranvir laughed.

“I’ll go double check with Clara that she’s not coming and then I’ll meet you in your rehearsal room?”

“Sounds good,”

Maisie offered her a wave and then disappeared with a flounce as Ranvir shook her head fondly. Although she was almost old enough to be her Mother, the bond that they shared was still lovely and she really did enjoy her company, whether she was gossiping or not.

She knocked on the wardrobe department’s door, sliding inside when they gave her the OK.

“Hi lovely,” Vicky smiled at her, glancing up from adding some stitches to another costume.

“Bit early to be doing all this isn’t it?” Ranvir asked as her eyes scanned the room.

Costumes were hanging from every orifice, crystals catching the light and casting a kaleidoscope colour effect over the ceilings and walls. Ranvir loved this place; watching these costumes be created and altered until they were perfect was an experience in itself and she wondered briefly if she’d be able to keep any of her dresses once the show was over.

“Less stress for Saturday,” Vicky grinned, sliding the needle into the fabric before standing up, “I’ve got your dress here, I just wanted to get you into it because I have a feeling your waist is going to need to be taken in, you’re like an inch away from a professional’s silhouette,”

She was mostly talking to herself as she disappeared in between two clothing rails but Ranvir grinned a little regardless. The idea that her body could even remotely look like a professional was a triumph and, if you asked her, a bloody miracle too. She stepped up to the platform as Vicky handed her the garment bag, ushering her through into the small dressing room.

“Give me a shout if you get stuck,” she was saying as Ranvir pulled the curtain shut, “you shouldn’t have a problem anyway,”

“Thank you,” she called back, hanging the bag up and pulling the zip down from the front.

What greeted her made her breath catch in her throat. The dress was a gorgeous shade of maroon on the top with a long floral bottom, three quarter length sleeves and a collar made from the same floral pattern as the skirt. It wasn’t anything necessarily show stopping but she knew it would suit her and Giovanni could pull off any colour so whatever he was wearing to match she was certain he’d look great too.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Ranvir pulled her training gear off and removed the dress from the hanger. She stepped into it easily, sliding her arms into the sleeves and then reaching behind her to do the button at the top up. She stepped out of the dressing room and returned to the platform, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

The theme for this week’s dance was soft and romantic, a married couple enjoying a dance around their garden over breakfast and the dress was perfect for it. Ranvir took a long look at herself in the mirror and indulged in imagining Giovanni stood next to her, his hand around her waist and that familiar soft look in his eyes as he stared at her.

Acting in love with and being fake married to Giovanni had been an easy task all week. The dance had come fairly easily and the story had been as natural as breathing. The concept of having Giovanni as her husband rather divisively split her in two. On the one hand her first husband hadn’t exactly been a dream and she had nothing but negative memories of their time together, tainted entirely by his choices; but on the other hand, the idea of being married to Giovanni instead sent a thrill down her spine. Whilst it was way too early in their actual relationship to even consider the possibility of marriage, getting to play pretend with him felt incredible. It should’ve scared her but in fact the opposite was true; she had thoroughly enjoyed every second of training and couldn’t wait to perform in the ballroom with her partner tomorrow. Her excitement to perform was only overshadowed by the reminder that once Saturday was over they would return to their roles as dance partners in the eyes of the public. Whilst it wouldn’t be wholly true behind the scenes, the prospect of returning to as neutral as possible publicly still made her slightly sad.

Vicky appeared beside her now wearing a face shield and holding a tub of safety pins as she instructed Ranvir to lift an arm so she could pin in her in. The process only lasted a couple more minutes and then she was asked to carefully remove the costume and leave it in the dressing room for her to sew.

“I knew I was right,” Vicky mumbled as Ranvir stepped out from behind the curtain, back in her training gear.

“About?” She prompted, tugging her pink t-shirt down.

“You’ve lost another inch,” Vicky was staring at a tape measure as she spoke, “is Giovanni letting you take enough food breaks?”

Ranvir barked out a laugh, turning it into a cough as she realised she was serious.

“He takes good care of me, yes,”

“Okay, well please just eat an extra banana or something at lunch today,”

Ranvir smiled at the costume designer who was already back to hand sewing crystals on a tiny Latin costume made for someone much braver than she.

“Will do,” she said softly, “do you need me for anything else?” She asked hand already on the door handle.

“Nope, you’re good to go,” Vicky looked up at her, “see you Saturday,”

She grinned and said her goodbyes before slipping out the door with a wave of her hand. In the corridor, Giovanni was leaning against the far wall waiting for her with his hands in his pockets.

“Hello,” she said, slightly surprised, “what’re you doing here?”

“You were taking forever so I came to check in on you,” Giovanni replied, pushing himself off of the wall to start walking by her side.

Ranvir looked at him out of the corner of her eye, mildly suspicious that that wasn’t the full truth. She hadn’t been a journalist for twenty odd years to not know when something was up. Incidentally, that was how she had ruined her first proposal. The thought caught her off guard and immediately made her forget any suspicion she had of Giovanni’s excuse. Since when had she started referring to that as her first proposal?

“Your dress is stunning by the way,” he said, resting his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him. She leaned slightly against his chest and smiled up at him. “I know I wasn’t supposed to see before Saturday,”

“I think that’s just for wedding dresses,” she said thoughtfully with a giggle, “I don’t think it matters when you’re already married,”

She felt him stiffen against her, his grip on her shoulder tightening. Ranvir looked up in confusion only to be met with Giovanni’s dark, dilated pupils.

“Okay, that’s it,” he said under his breath.

She was about to question what was ‘it’ when he suddenly grabbed her hand, tugging her around a corner, yanking open a door and gently pushing her inside.

“Giovanni,” she started as he shut the door behind them, encasing them in total darkness, “what are you doing?”

“Shh,” he whispered as her eyes began to adjust, “it echoes in here,”

“Where are we and what are we doing in here?” Ranvir lowered her voice accordingly as she glanced around the small room still not seeing much in the dark. “Can you turn the light on?”

“It’s costume overflow,” he said, his hand trailing down her arm until he found her fingers, intertwining them with his as he pulled her deeper into the glorified closet.

She didn’t say anything as he pushed what she assumed to be a costume rail to the side, the complete darkness of the room making it difficult to see anything clearly.

“What are you-“

Ranvir was cut off as Giovanni suddenly let go of her hand to grab her around the waist and lift her onto an unknown surface. She shrieked a little as he did so, her back coming into contact with a wall as Giovanni stepped between her legs.

“If I have to hear you talk about being my wife one more time,” he said seriously, his hands sliding into her hair, “then I’m going to have to kiss you,”

“Oh,” Ranvir replied surprised, “you like calling me your wife?” She teased.

“Oh God,”

That was the last thing he said before his actions met his words. Her hands gripped at his t-shirt as he kissed her, desperately craving his body against hers, suddenly deliriously happy that he was having the same visceral reaction that she had had when thinking about him as her husband. He kissed her with an almost bruising force, his fingers tugging at the ends of her hair as hers slipped underneath his t-shirt. She took the time to enjoy his abs before circling her arms around him and digging her nails into his back, forcing him to break from her lips and press open mouthed kisses down the column of her throat.

Giovanni’s body was warm against hers, his hands now somehow at the base of her spine and dipping into the back of her leggings. The warmth that had started in her chest was spreading throughout her entire body as he nipped at the juncture of her collarbone, pulling away only to remove her t-shirt and drop it somewhere nearby.

“Giovanni,” she managed to say breathlessly as he rolled his hips against hers. She bit back a cry.

“Yes darling?” He replied, voice somewhat muffled as he continued pressing kisses to her now bare shoulder. “Are you going to tell me to stop?” He asked, pulling back to look at her worriedly.

“God no,” Ranvir replied tugging at the bottom of his t-shirt. He took the hint and stepped back, pulling it over his head and dropping it beside hers on the floor before immediately crowding into her space to resume his ministrations. “I was just thinking,”

“Why?” He growled biting at her earlobe. She laughed, kicking off her shoes as his hands went to the waistband of her leggings.

“I’ve enjoyed calling you my husband this week too,”

Giovanni paused, a shuddering breath leaving his body as he cupped her face in his hands. His green eyes searched hers, for what she wasn’t sure but she suddenly felt very vulnerable under his gaze.

“It does sound nice, no?”

“Yeah,” she smiled softly in relief as he leant his forehead against hers.

“I like calling you my wife,” his giddy grin was back and she couldn’t stop the small laugh that bubbled out of her. 

“I know,” she gestured at the room he had pushed her into to make her point.

“And as your husband,” butterflies exploded in her stomach, “I have a duty to take care of my wife,”

“Oh?” She asked, her tongue poking between her teeth as he smirked at her, immediately knowing just what he was thinking.

“Yes,” he said firmly before he was once again kissing her through her laughter.

-

“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me,”

Giovanni and Ranvir both turned to the door, spotting Maisie leaning in the frame.

They’d been back in their rehearsal room for about ten minutes, practising a couple of the trickier segments and lifts before they broke for lunch.

“Oh Maisie!” Ranvir cried, her hands covering her mouth, “I’m so sorry!”

Maisie laughed as she looked between them.

“It’s cool, you ready to go now though?”

“Yes, give me two minutes,” Ranvir replied before turning back to face Giovanni.

“I thought we were getting lunch,” the Italian said, sticking his bottom lip out petulantly.

“I’m so sorry, I completely forgot Maisie had asked me earlier,”

“You forgot?”

“You distracted me,” she mumbled, casting a glance at the floor, “I’ll make it up to you,” she offered, throwing him her best puppy dog eyes.

“Okay, fine,” Giovanni relented, rolling his eyes with a smile.

“Do you want anything from that coffee shop you like?”

“You’re going there?” Giovanni cried indignantly. Maisie laughed from somewhere behind them, reminding them both they still very much had an audience.

“I’ll get you a macchiato,” Ranvir said, hoping to mollify him.

“With caramel,” he pouted.

“With caramel,” she parroted, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek, “see you in a bit,”

“I’m sure you’ll survive without her for an hour Gio,” Maisie called as Ranvir picked her coat up from the sofa, throwing it over her blue t-shirt.

“Only if you promise to bring her back in serious work mode,” he retorted, “whenever she hangs out with you and Clara she comes back all giggly and unfocused,”

“Hey!” Ranvir knew he was teasing but Giovanni shot her a pointed look.

“Are you saying I’m wrong?”

“Well, no,” she admitted as Maisie cackled in the background, “come on Mais, we better leave before he makes me stay,”

She winked at him cheekily as he gave her a full grin, blowing her a kiss the second Maisie’s back was turned. She rolled her eyes fondly but blew one back before following her friend out the door.

-

Fifty minutes later and Ranvir and Maisie were walking back to the studios, coffees in hand. The temperature was mild and the sun was shining as they passed a few people in the streets. The pair had enjoyed a nice long catch up as they walked around a nearby park, discussing everything from Strictly to their days jobs to their home life and somehow, despite the age difference, Ranvir felt like she was talking to one of her sisters.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said thanks for all your support this year,” she said, chancing a glance at the redhead, “I’m not the most body confident so I really appreciate you cheering me on every week,”

“Don’t be silly,” Maisie replied, offering her a small smile, “I know how that feels and just having someone in your corner can make all the difference,”

“Well, I’m always in your corner,”

“Me too,” she grinned, “I’d give you a hug but,” she trailed off, glancing back down at her coffee cup.

“Better not risk it,” Ranvir finished for her, “we’ll have to have a reunion once we’re all vaccinated and celebrate together,”

“Oh my God that sounds like so much fun,” Maisie laughed, “I’m holding you to that,”

Ranvir grinned at her friend as they fell into an easy silence.

“I know you said no Giovanni comments,” Maisie started slowly as Ranvir shot her a glare, “but I’ve been dying to ask you since your Argentine Tango last week,”

The presenter watched her through narrowed eyes, tugging her coat zip down a little as they approached the studio, ready for the heating to be on full blast when they stepped through the doors.

“Okay fine, what do you want to ask?” she relented, adding at the last moment: “I reserve the right to not answer!” As a caveat.

“I don’t know how to phrase this delicately,”

“Oh no,” Ranvir mumbled, already regretting letting her ask.

“Are you two banging yet?”

“Maisie!” Ranvir exclaimed, looking at her friend in horror, “I can’t believe you just asked me that!”

Maisie, for her part, was bent over double at the waist, silent laughter shaking her entire body.

“I’m sorry,” she managed to say through her laughter, “you should’ve seen the look on your face,”

“You can’t ask me stuff like that! I’m old enough to be your Mum!”

“Come off it,” Maisie replied, finally standing up straight and grinning at her friend, “we’re mates!”

“Mates who have a huge age gap,” Ranvir added.

“Look, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,”

“I don’t want to!” She exclaimed tugging self-consciously at her t-shirt as they entered the building and made their way to the rehearsal rooms.

“We all know anyway,”

“Know what?” Ranvir asked, “there’s nothing to know,”

“It’s a shame y’know? You’re a good liar,” Maisie said thoughtfully.

“What’s a shame?” She was getting frustrated now and a scowl appeared on her face as she looked over at her competition.

“It’s a shame,” Maisie repeated slowly, “that the two of you got redressed in the dark,”

“Wh-”

“Because when I saw you this morning,” she interrupted as they came to a stop outside Ranvir’s rehearsal room door, “you were wearing a pink t-shirt and Gio was wearing a blue one and now,” she pointed deliberately at Ranvir’s shirt, “you’re wearing a blue one and, oh yep, look at that,” she peered through the glass, “Gio’s wearing a pink one,”

Ranvir floundered for an excuse, a steady flush creeping up her neck as she spluttered an explanation. They had, of course, noticed they’d put the wrong shirts back on but figured it didn’t matter since the only people they would be seeing for the rest of the day were each other and if they did see anyone else, the likelihood of them remembering what they were wearing would be remote. So they had left them on, Giovanni promising he’d get his shirt back with a repeat performance at his flat. Maisie grinned an incredibly smug smile back at her.

“You might have everyone else fooled, but not me,”

“Oh good you two are back,” Giovanni suddenly appeared in the corridor, taking the coffees from Ranvir’s hand as she continued to stare gobsmacked at Maisie. “The camera crew are here,” he trailed off spotting the tension, “everything okay?” He asked slowly as his gaze flicked between them.

“All good Gio,” Maisie smiled, finally breaking eye contact to look at the Italian, “thanks for letting me borrow your girl,”

“Maisie,” Ranvir growled as she started to walk away.

“Oh! I forgot to say,” the actress turned back to look at them, “pink is definitely your colour G!”

With that, Maisie left the pair of them to stare awkwardly at her retreating form. 

“God damn she’s good,” Ranvir admitted, a new found respect for the young girl appearing as Giovanni looked down at her confused. “I wonder if she’s ever considered a career in journalism?”

**Author's Note:**

> I have another chapter of this already written from Kai's POV - this story isn't going to follow any kind of timeline so if there's a particular person you want to see find out/react to Ranvanni then please let me know and I'll write it :)


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